


Fated Tails Of Water

by Jetred93



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Commoner Kuroo, Double Dick, Eventual mpreg, Fluff, Heavy Angst, Kingdoms, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Magic, Mana - Freeform, Minor Character Death, More tags to be added, Mpreg, Mystery, NSFW, Other, Porn, Prince Tsukki, Sex, Smut, Tails, Under The Water, alternative universe, horrible king, interesting genitals, mer people au, merman Tsukki, mermen action, shark Kuroo, tragic past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-01-29 13:09:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21410710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jetred93/pseuds/Jetred93
Summary: hello people! thank you so much for choosing to read this exciting fic!this is a joint collab with the wonderful @Zerononiku please check them out on Twitter! as they are doing the amazing art for this fic!I hope you enjoy and please leave a comment at the end! :D
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, More to be added - Relationship
Comments: 17
Kudos: 105





	1. Delinquent From The Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> hello people! thank you so much for choosing to read this exciting fic!  
this is a joint collab with the wonderful @Zerononiku please check them out on Twitter! as they are doing the amazing art for this fic!   
I hope you enjoy and please leave a comment at the end! :D

"ha  ha ! got you again Tora!”

“you-ugh! You may have me now but---”

“oh, shut up! You know I will win again!”

Kuroo laughed as he grabbed Tora around the neck in a choke hold as they smashed in to the ground, causing the sand to kick up in to dirty clouds around them 

“YEEEEEAH!!! GET HIM KUROO!!”

Bokuto cheered from the audience watching.  Akaashi was sat next to him plain faced and already over the fact there was yet another shark brawl in the middle of the day. Kenma laid on his stomach looking as bored as ever and really uninterested in his childhood friends fight 

“we know he’s  gonna win” 

Akaashi spoke plainly 

“and the winner is Kuroo Tetsurou!!”

The announcer spoke with excitement and the surrounding crowd cheered.  Kuroo let go of his good friend and swam up slightly with his arm stretched out, Tora looked up to him with a scowl but grabbed his hand none the less. Both the shark men floated next to each other and bowed to the crowd 

“next time... you’ll see. I will win”

“we’ll see”

Kuroo shrugged as he swam out of the ring area living Tora mumbling and following beh ind .

Land  Tärkein was home of the shark men and shark women alike. It was a warm area deep down and hidden away by the surrounding yet distant magma fields, sand patchy black from the ash but beautifully decorated by colourful flowing plants in all shapes and sizes. Large rocks that any new comer would bump in to and smaller rocks tha t  the residents would use to take rest upon or even to help with directions. 

Kuroo made his way over to  Bokuto and Lev who had swam around to the side to meet the  raven-haired shark man

“to say your covered in scars Kuroo you can sure put up a decent fight!”

Lev beamed an excited smile 

“yeah...”

Kuroo spoke quietly as he looked down to his  prominent scar in the shape of an X across his chest

“some of my many scars remind me that I can’t always put up a decent enough fight” 

The raven-haired shark man placed his hand over his scar 

“well! Let’s celebrate the victory and do something fun!”

Bokuto quickly spoke to change the subject.  Akaashi’s super hearing perked up as he looked over to the 3 trouble makers from the corner of his eyes

“like what?” 

Kuroo frowned 

“well, we haven’t been out of bounds in a while”

Lev put his finger on his chin in thought.  Bokuto and Kuroo nodded in agreement 

“although... does anyone remember the way?” 

“I know the way”

Akaashi answered  Bokuto as he swam up behind them

“ you're coming too?” 

Lev asked slightly confused 

“of course. I have to make sure you idiots don’t do anything stupid” 

The beautiful man shark rolled his eyes before swimming through the 3. They watched as  Akaashi got a head start before racing each other to catch up

The 4 had to make sure they weren't seen by anyone as they left, and thanks to  Akaashi they managed to slip through unseen

Quite some time went by and throughout most of the swim  Bokuto and Lev were complaining about it taking so long and asking  Akaashi how long it will take to get there

“will you guys just be quiet for one moment!”

The beautiful shark man finally snapped at the two. 

Bokuto and Lev stopped swimming and looked at  Akaashi slightly fearful 

“Kuroo has just been in a  tournament and is battered and bruised! Do you hear him complaining?!”

“well... no”

Lev mumbled 

“exactly!”

Akaashi rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh 

“but... there is a reason for that”

Bokuto spoke up and  Akaashi raised a brow waiting for him to continue 

“Kuroo...  isn't with us”

The older grit his teeth waiting for  Akaashi’s response, but instead saw the younger stare at him plainly for a split second before total panic was shown in his tail as it flapped back and forth 

“what do you mean?! Where has he gone?!” 

Kuroo was frowning at something shining in the distance before him and he flapped his tail faster to approach the object in excitement 

~ what is that?! Maybe it’s worth something!! ~

The raven-haired thought to himself as he quickly approached said  object lodged in-between two rocks and a plant. As he yanked it free, he stared down at it with a frown 

“coca-cola?! Oh... is this... dumped by the land people?” 

Kuroo thought to himself as he turned the can over and saw some small printed writing. The shark sighed and quickly put it back as he felt a chill from the sudden temperature change in the water 

“ ooooh , it’s cold around here---”

Kuroo quickly turned back and forth with widened eyes 

~ crap... I left the others... and... I’m lost ~

The man shark panicked for a split moment as he swam fast in the direction, he was sure he came from 

Kuroo ended up swimming for what felt like hours before he heard a noise in the distance. 

Not wanting to be seen he swam behind a massive rock and peaked over the top 

What he saw he couldn’t believe as he had only heard of this place in stories told by his parents when he was younger, stories he thought were only fairy tales or myths. But right in front of him was Kingdom  Loistava , home to the  mer people

The kingdom was even more beautiful then Kuroo could ever have imagined from the stories. An amazing castle almost in the centre of the land with sharp quirky edges and points at the top that looked like they could go on for days as they hit the icy glowing aura surrounding it, a tower just to the side with beautiful architectural designs swirling around as the luminous glows of surrounding buildings reflected on to it 

Kuroo was shook from his thoughts when he heard the loud voice echoing through the land once again and looked over to the front of the castle where a merman with a crown, long flowing hair and a trident in his hand was giving a speech to his  mer people

“is that... a king?”

Kuroo wondered as he swam closer again making sure not to be seen 

As the shark man managed to find a closer rock to hide  behind, he was able to get a closer look but was slightly distracted by a sign on the outskirts of the kingdom that read ‘NO SHARKS’ the raven-haired frowned with a grunt 

“best not be seen at all then---”

Kuroo’s thoughts, heart and his whole being shattered as he saw a merman sat on a throne just behind the king 

“who is that!” 

The shark man lost all sense as he quickly swam closer and came to long waves of seaweed, he pushed himself through them enough to stay hidden but to get a better look 

A merman, clearly the prince with short blonde hair, complimented with a shining gold crown much smaller than the kings resting on his head, golden chains around his neck which hung nicely around his neck and down his chest. His tail long, golden yellow with hints of blue around the edges shining from the ambiance of lights and reflections curled beside him as he sat with his hands together and his eyes closed

Kuroo stared at the merman with flushed cheeks as he felt his heart beat uncontrollably 


	2. On The Flipside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello people! thank you so much for continuing to read this exciting fic!  
this is a joint collab with the wonderful @Zerononiku please check them out on Twitter! as they are doing the amazing art for this fic!  
I hope you enjoy and please leave a comment at the end! :D

The blonde prince kept his eyes closed as the king of Loistava came to the end of his speech. The crowd cheered for their leader as he turned to the blonde, Tsukki looked up at the bigger merman and bowed his head as he got up from his throne and swam behind him as they made their way back in to the castle 

As the prince entered his room at the top of the tower, he could feel a dark presence behind him preventing him from turning around. However, he knew if he didn’t turn around that it would make matters worse

As he turned the look of the king's face was one he wasn’t unfamiliar with as he received a blow to the side of his face which sent him flying back and in to the wall behind him. The blonde held his cheek where the king had smacked him and looked up at the bigger with teary eyes and shock, but not completely as this wasn’t a surprise to  Tsukki , in fact he was wondering the whole time during the speech which part of sitting on the throne looking pretty and doing nothing was he doing wrong

“disgraceful! The way you had your tail sat was absolutely outrageous! You're not common folk you know! You were raised better than that! Stop letting me down!”

The king yelled right before slamming the door behind him as he left Tsukki devastated on the floor

The blonde rubbed his cheek a little before getting up and swimming over to the mirror. A massive bruise had already started to form across his fair skin, he looked down and opened the small draw beneath the mirror and sighed in relief when he noticed he still had enough make up to cover up this new mark 

“ psssst Tsukki”

The blonde frowned and looked in his mirror to see the window behind him and a familiar orange haired merman smiling brightly at him,  Tsukki turned in shock and quickly swam to the window 

“what are you doing here? You need to leave”

The blonde whispered and looking behind him quickly before turning back to Hinata who was shaking his head 

“we're not going anywhere without you”

“we're?” 

Tsukki frowned and swam to the edge of the window and saw  Kageyama floating next  Yachi as they looked up and waved at the prince 

“we came as soon as the speech was over, admittedly it was hard to get past the guards but  Yachi managed to find a way and now were here! We haven't been able to see you in a long time because you’ve been so busy with all your... royal stuff”

“I can’t leave”

The blonde spoke sternly 

“you need to go” 

He added as he went to shut the window but was stopped when Hinata put his hand in the way

“ Tsukki . Just for a little bit...”

Hinata stared at him with his big shiny eyes, the ones that no would not even  Tsukki could resist. The  blonde's shoulders dropped as his eyes rolled with a sigh 

“fine. But only 10 minutes”

The prince looked back quickly before swimming out his window to his two other close friends with Hinata close behind him 

“what happened to your face?”

Kageyama spoke plainly with his dark blue tail shaking in fury before even greeting the blonde.  Tsukki brought his hand to his cheek and looked at  Kageyama in horror as he tried to think of an excuse.  Yachi floated with her beautiful purple fan tail flowing in the waters current, looking at Tsukki and how he seemed to be uncomfortable 

“erm, I think we should move from here before were seen”

The mermaid suggested 

“yeah! Let's go!” 

Hinata cheered and grabbed  Yachi’s wrist with a smile.  Yachi quickly grabbed  Tsukki’s and the three swam off quickly with a frowning  Kageyama closely behind them 

The four of them laughed, joked and swam around together. It had been a long time since  Tsukki had felt this happy and he can't even remember the last time he actually smiled 

“Prince Tsukishima!” 

the four froze as they heard the voice behind them, that’s when  Tsukki knew that the freedom he had for those few minutes had come to a crashing end as the voice sent shivers through his tail and up his spine 

As they turned  around, they saw the king stood in-between two guards

“home. Now. you have duties”

The king spoke before turning around and swimming off, the two guards waited for the prince to follow and when he didn’t straight  away, they swam beside him 

“your highness” 

“right. Sorry, I have to go... it was fun”

Tsukki bowed his head to his friends and turned 

“what was all that about?”

Kageyama frowned as he watched  Tsukki swim off back to the castle with the guards 

“I... I don’t know, I also don’t think if something was bothering him, he would tell us. He's much for keeping his problems bottled up... maybe... he’s just over worked?”

Yachi placed her fist on her chest as she watched  Tsukki disappear in to the castle

“nah! Something isn't right, he’s not just over worked... there’s something else that he isn't telling us and... I don’t like it! He's been our friend for years! We used to spend so much time together and what? Now he just doesn’t have the time”

Hinata expressed anxiously 

“and what do you suppose we---”

“oi you lot! Get out of here!”

Kageyama was interrupted by the guards who came swimming over 

“you guys get out of here quickly! I’m  gonna try and see  what's going on!”

Hinata pushed the two forward before slyly swimming away and hiding in some nearby seaweed. He watched as the guards grabbed Kageyama and  Yachi by the arm and escorted them away from the castle 

The orange haired merman looked over at the main doors and back at the guards before making a swift swim over to them, he gripped his hand tightly around the knocker and bashed it against the iron doors three times before waiting for someone to answer 

Patience wasn’t Hinata’s best suit as he started to get annoyed with waiting, as he went to grip the knocker one more time the door was suddenly opened and stood before him was the king. He looked down at Hinata with almost disgust before deciding to shut the door on him 

“hey! Wait!! I want to see the prince!! He's my friend! I have every right to speak to him!”

Hinata yelled as he banged his fists against the door 

“get rid of that boy at once! Take him to the dungeon and teach him a lesson. Oh, and tell him prince Tsukishima sent you” 

The king smirked as he swam past the guards 

The four guards bowed as the king made his way down the hall and they made their way outside 

“what?! What do you mean?!  Nooooo ! You can’t do this! I haven't done anything wrong! Ack!”

The kings smirk became more and more sadistic as he heard the small merman's cries before being taken away. 

Quite some time had passed and  Tsukki was sat with his tail curled around a stool, looking in the mirror with his make-up tools laid out in front of him, he touched his cheek and winced from the sharp pain the bruise pulsed against his nerves, he looked down sadly and picked up a small sponge. As he was about to put it to his face the bedroom door swung open bashing against the wall behind, Tsukki got up quickly and floated before the king, the blonde's eyes widened in slight fear but he composed himself quickly and bowed his head

“father... I--”

“do not speak unless I tell you to”

The king spoke deeply as he swam towards the blonde 

“the stunt you pulled earlier got your friend in to a lot of trouble”

“friend? What? Which---”

“WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SPEAKING!”

Tsukki cowered away slightly and cupped his hands together with his head down 

“that dark haired boy wasn’t too pleased with the state that orange tail returned in”

_ ~ wh... what did he do to Hinata? ~ _

Tsukki thought to himself as he stared at the ground, his eyes pricking with tears of guilt 

“you know this is all your fault, right?”

_ ~ no... ~ _

“if you didn’t sneak off”

_ ~ your wrong ~ _

“then your friend wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I hope your happy with yourself”

_ ~ if I... if I didn’t leave, if I didn’t spend time with them then... they wouldn’t have gotten hurt ~ _

“you are a noble, you have  royal blood running through your veins, you shouldn’t be swimming around with common folk. Bad things will happen to those around you if you do not do as your told!”

_ ~ it’s all my thought, it’s all my fault, it’s all my fault ~  _

Tsukki wiped his eyes harshly for the king not to see him crying, god knows what would happen if he saw the prince acting weak in any way.

“I have a business meeting to attend to, I will be away for a few hours, days maybe. While I am gone you are not to leave the castle, understood?”

“yes father”

The king rolled his eyes before leaving the princes room 

As the door shut  Tsukki slid down the wall behind him and brought his tail up to his chest as his arms wrapped around it

_ ~ if I didn’t get the urge to leave my room back then... Hinata wouldn’t have gotten hurt,  _ _ Kageyama _ _ wouldn’t have been suspicious and  _ _ Yachi _ _ wouldn’t have had to quickly change the subject. They all know something is wrong but... do they think it’s with me? I mean... it probably is... this is all my fault; I cause nothing but pain and misery and I can’t do anything right. This is... this is... me... a failure ~ _

The prince had all these thoughts circling around his head, ways he could be better if only... 

He could feel his chest tighten with how upset and fed up he was that he swam up to his mirror quickly and looked at his cheek one last time before wiping his eyes and leaving his room through the window once again 

The prince had tears streaming down his cheeks as he swam and swam and swam for what could have been hours

He didn’t know where he was going, he couldn’t even remember what direction he took. All he knew was he wanted to get as far away from the kingdom as possible, maybe even go to his special place a place where only he knew and where he would never be found. However, with how long he was swimming for with his eyes blurry from tears he didn’t even know if he was heading in the right direction anymore 

Tsukki slowed down from his fast pace and closed his eyes as his tail flapped slowly against the water 

He needed to calm down and take a breather 

But all thoughts disappeared for a split second as he felt himself  bump in to something. He opened his eyes and realised it wasn’t something more someone

His eyes widened, his jaw dropped and his whole body shook in fear 

“sh... sh... sh... shark”

Tsukki’s brows burrowed and his bottom jaw quivered 

“oh, wow! I didn’t think I would actually get to speak to you face to face! My name is Kuroo and I saw you---”

“stay away!”

Tsukki choked up enough courage before he went to swim away, but Kuroo grabbed the  merman's wrist to stop him from leaving 

“wait! Don't go! I want to talk to you!”

Kuroo half begged but watched with burrowed brows himself as the prince was shaking all over and looking at him with complete horror clouding his eyes 

“n.... no... please... I don’t want to die! Please! Don't eat me! I’m sorry, I’m sorry I bumped in to you, I... I didn’t mean to... I---”

“eat you?” 

Kuroo raised a brow in confusion 

“my... my father... he... he warned me about sharks... said... said that they rip us to shreds... to... to”

Tsukki used his free hand to cover his mouth to stop himself from throwing up. Tears began to stream down his cheeks as his chest tightened, his heart was racing, his mind was became fuzzy and his breaths became hitched as he gasped harshly 

Kuroo worried for the prince in front of him

“please... please... I beg you”

The merman broke down in to a full blown panic attack as tears wouldn’t stop flowing 

the shark man didn’t know quite what do to, the prince was in  hysterics and was now at the point where he couldn’t even hear Kuroo speak

The raven haired scanned the water in hope for an answer but instead pulled Tsukki in to his chest and began to rub the back of his head 

“shhh, calm down. I’m really not going to hurt you, I promise. I don’t know where you heard that us shark folk attack or even eat merman but I can assure you that that is far from the truth. Were quite placid believe it or not and wont attack someone viciously unless needed. Please just relax, I saw you sat on the throne hours ago and I couldn’t help but think that you were the most beautiful thing that I have ever laid my eyes on, I wanted to talk to you... but... you’re a prince and... well ha! Didn’t think I would get an opportunity like this!”

Kuroo explained in a low soothing voice as he continued to hold  Tsukki against his chest

The prince stared forward and his breathing evened out 

_ ~ his voice... is so calm, and his chest... what is this? It's... warm ~ _

Tsukki smiled softly as his eyes shut slowly feeling the heat of the shark's skin against his cheek. 

The moment was short lived when the blonde realised that he had let his guard down completely and pulled away from Kuroo quickly with a blush shining across his cheeks 

“I erm... sorry. That was rude of me to assume such horrible things about you upon meeting” 

Tsukki bowed his head and cupped his hands together 

“hmmm? No need to apologise. I’m a shark, I’ve heard worse”

Kuroo began laughing

The shark's laughter shocked  Tsukki but it was like music to his ears, he couldn’t help the shy smile that crept across his lips 

“I’m Kuroo Tetsurou, please to meet you”

“Tsukishima Kei, pleasure” 

The prince stared at Kuroo and couldn’t help but feel safe around the stranger and despite all the rumours about sharks that his father had told him, this one seemed far from the tales. However, being  the prince of his kingdom, he needed to keep his guard up and stared at the shark man unsure on what his motives were 

“forgive me your highness, but I couldn’t help but notice you were crying before you bumped in to me. Is everything okay?” 

“I... err... it’s complicated” 

“well, you look like you need to unwind. I’m sure being the prince of a massive kingdom like yours isn't an easy task. How about we take a swim together? It might help you clear your head a bit?” 

Kuroo stuck out his hand 

Tsukki looked at the shark man plainly, his mind circling with things that might happen if he really was to leave the kingdom for too long. However, the smile on Kuroo’s face and the  invitation was all too tempting 

“trust me”

Kuroo added.  Tsukki looked the shark man in the eyes in shock before softly smiling and reaching out his hand to lace his fingers within Kuroo’s 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we both hope you enjoyed our second chapter!  
please leave a comment down below with your thoughts and visit our twitters  
@HaikyuuTrash11  
@Zerononiku


	3. Far Far Away!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! welcome back! thank you for continuing to read this fic and admire the art done for it!  
the collab is sooo much fun!!   
please dont forget to check out @Zerononiku on twitter to see her amazing art!! all the feed back to us is apprciated   
and my twitter is @HaikyuuTrash11

Kuroo and  Tsukki swam for a long while in silence before the shark broke it with some questions about the merman. Seeing the blonde prince look down and hesitant to answer a lot of the questions being thrown at him  Kuroo swam in front of him stopping  Tsukki in his tracks with a bright smile 

“how about you ask me a few questions instead, put you at ease a bit?” 

Kuroo offered as he held out his hand,  Tsukki looked down with a soft blush 

“okay” 

The blonde spoke as he grabbed  Kuroo’s hand once again and they continued swimming 

“what’s it like at the shark tribe? Are you ruled by a king too?” 

“ hmmmm it’s a lot warmer than your kingdom, were all quite relaxed and everyone knows everyone. We don’t have a king; however, we do have a wise”

“a wise?”

Tsukki frowned at  Kuroo

“yeah, his name is  Nekomata . He stays in his home a lot and people go to visit him all the time for advice and guidance” 

“that sounds nice”

“does it? I’ve never really thought much of it. But now that you say that, I guess it is quite nice. He's always welcoming and accepting of everyone and even asks people to stay for a bite to eat”

“if he is the wise of your land does that mean he is also in charge?”

“in charge? What do you mean?” 

Kuroo was now the one frowning at the other 

“you know, like is he the one who calls the shoots and states the laws?” 

Tsukki asked the shark in wonder 

“ errr no? We don’t really have enforcements. We have unwritten rules if  ya like? Be kind to one another, help each other, that kind of stuff” 

“so... how does it stay in order?” 

“were not barbaric prince Tsukishima!”

Kuroo began laughing which just confused the merman more 

“did I say something funny? You are a shark after all, I at least thought that a tribe would have to follow some strict rules” 

“no, no, nothing like that! Well... actually there are some rules in wrestling which is a well-known sport to participate in” 

“wrestling? Why do you wrestle?”

“for fun!”

“for fun?!”

Tsukki looked at  Kuroo in disbelief 

“is that how you have all those scars?” 

The prince added causing  Kuroo to look down at himself with a saddened smile, which made  Tsukki feel a little bad as he didn’t mean to accidently bring up memories that  Kuroo may have been trying to forget

“I’m  sor \--”

“ ahahhaha these scars?! Well to find out about these you will have to date me first”

Tsukki stopped swimming and looked at  Kuroo in shock with a reddened blush covering his face 

“ wh -what... d-date? I... I”

“ ahhh I’m just kidding”

Kuroo laughed and continued to swim on ahead,  Tsukki was stunned at the shark's comment and shook his head quickly to remove all lingering thoughts and quickly swam to catch up with him

“so, how did you end up swimming so far out and finding Kingdom  Loistava ?” 

Seeing as they had swam for so long now  Tsukki was interested to find out what the shark man was doing around his end 

“heh... well  erm ... I actually saw something shinning in the distance and I couldn’t help but get attracted to it, so I followed what I thought was going to be this amazing find. Turns out... it was just a can dropped by the land people” 

Kuroo chuckled and scratched the back of his head,  Tsukki looked at him plainly 

“you're an idiot” 

The blonde chuckled in to his fist.  Kuroo’s jaw dropped and he placed his hand on his chest to seem insulted by the remark, but then dropped his hand and head as he knew damn well that he was in fact an idiot 

“oh, were here”

Kuroo stopped suddenly 

“hmmm? Oh---ah!  Woah ! What is this?!”

Tsukki swam closer amazed by the sight in front of him 

“it’s a ship wreck! It's been here for many  many years so it's all starting to fall apart and disappear, but this is what I wanted to show you! Isn't it amazing? I come here quite a bit when I need to unwind and have some time to myself”

“it’s huge!”

The blonde mumbled as he still couldn’t believe his own eyes 

“shall we go inside?” 

Kuroo offered with his hand out to the prince,  Tsukki looked up at the dark almost spooky ship and then back to  Kuroo before he silently nodded and took the sharks hand 

The two swam through a massive hole in the base of the ship and to the part which would have been a dining hall.  Kuroo smiled as he watched  Tsukki swim around the place excited to see all the old stuff 

“wow! Look at this painting! You can’t tell what they looked like anymore but I bet it was beautiful—oh! Look at this chair! It still has all four legs—wait! What's that!”

Tsukki could no longer contain his excitement as he was rummaging through all the ancient stuff that he had never seen before.  Kuroo smiled and sat down on one of the old tables to relax a little after the massive swim he had done 

“ ooooooooh !!!!”

Kuroo jumped up suddenly as he heard the blonde almost scream out, worried that something had happened or that he had hurt himself he rushed to  Tsukki’s side 

“prince Tsukishima! What is it--”

The shark cut himself off as he saw  Tsukki holding a fork with pure excitement in his eyes and a blush of happiness across his cheeks 

“what---”

“this is the smallest Trident I have ever seen!!”

The blondes voice almost broke in excitement 

“Tri-- pfffffft ahahahahahahahahahaha”

Kuroo hunched himself over as he almost couldn’t breathe from laughter.  Tsukki looked at him confused and the shark wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and saw the look in the prince's face and didn’t want to disappoint the merman 

“how about you put that down so no one gets hurt”

Kuroo spoke as he swam to the prince and took the fork from him and placed it back on the side 

“hey  erm ... will you come back to  T ä rkein with me?” 

The shark held both of  Tsukki’s hands as the merman looked down shyly 

“I  erm ... that’s a really nice offer to invite me back to your homeland... but I-I've only just... I’m still new to the fact that sharks aren't like what I’ve been told, I still don’t really know you that well and what if someone sees me and doesn’t want me there, I’m... I’m still... I’m scared of the thought of being surrounded by other sharks when I've grown up thinking I’m their prey”

Tsukki began shaking at the memories his dad once told him about the shark tribe 

“hey, I know we have just met and you barely know me, but I haven't threatened or hurt you so far have I? I promise I will look after you, we can even sneak in and go straight to my place so that no one sees you... I just... I don’t want our time together to end just yet” 

Kuroo explained as he had his hands on the blondes shoulders.  Tsukki looked the shark in the eyes and could see sincerity and felt his heart start to beat fast 

“yeah, okay. I trust you”

“wait! Really?! Your coming?”

Kuroo perked up excited and his tail began flapping,  Tsukki couldn’t help but let a soft smile creep upon his lips 

“let’s go!”

The shark grabbed  Tsukki’s hand and swam out of the ship with him 

The two swam for a further half an hour back to land  T ä rkein . As they approached, they swam around the side by some massive rocks.  Kuroo peaked over the top and looked around to make sure no one was in sight before they made their next move 

“it’s a good thing it’s gotten so late. I think everyone will be eating their dinner around about now. My place is just around the corner, if we make a quick swim through that seaweed and past that patch of reef plants we’ll be there” 

“okay”

Tsukki breathed nervously but had no time to second think anything as he was pulled quickly through the area he was just directed 

“ annnnnd were here!”

Kuroo opened his brick door and allowed the blonde to make his way in first 

“oh, this was not what I was expecting at all!”

Tsukki expressed in shock as he looked around at the small space neatly decorated in purples and reds with hints of greens here and there. The place was spotless and looked like it was very well kept

“what was you expecting?” 

Kuroo asked as he swam in and laid on the stone bed in the middle of the room, he gestured his arm out to offer  Tsukki the soft seating area to the side

“I don’t know, I guess more... edgy?” 

The prince explained as he sat in the soft area next to the bed.  Kuroo began chuckling as he understood why someone that wasn’t a shark would think that way 

Tsukki felt himself relax the longer he was there chatting to  Kuroo about anything and everything. Getting to know each other as the blonde felt the warm water surrounding him

He was calm and for the first time felt at peace being somewhere and being able to be himself made it all the more worthwhile leaving when he did 

“KUROO!! WHAT THE ABSOULTE FREEK!! YOU GO MISSING ALL DAY, HAVE EVERYONE WORRIED SICK AND--- ah”

Kuroo and  Tsukki sat up in shock as a very angry shark man had slammed the front door open to yell at the raven-haired shark 

“Y...  Yaku ... I-I can explain” 

Kuroo nervously spoke and looked to  Tsukki briefly who was frozen in his spot 

Yaku floated silently in shock as he stared at the merman in the room.  Tsukki couldn’t help but notice the orange tailed shark had a massive scar on one arm and part of his tail missing

“ Kuroo , why is there a merman here?” 

Yaku asked as he was surprised to see the stunning tailed beauty sat there 

“we bumped in to each other and got talking, but please  Yaku ... I beg you... don’t tell anyone he is here please”

Kuroo placed his hands together and closed his eyes 

“what would I gain from telling people you brought a merman back home after going missing? You’ll be the talk of the town even more so than you already are and that will just piss Tora off”

The smaller shark chuckled which made  Kuroo laugh along with him. The two sharks in the room laughing together for some reason made  Tsukki feel at ease and his shoulders slouched as he began to feel less tense 

“you know what, I’ll just leave you two to it. But next time  Kuroo if you're going to swim off let someone know first” 

Yaku rolled his eyes 

“it was nice to see a merman in the flesh” 

The small shark nodded towards  Tsukki before leaving, the blonde smiled and bowed his head as he left 

“ phhhhew ! Aha that was close huh? But don’t worry,  Yaku won't tell anyone about this! He has always had my back from the beginning of time” 

Kuroo beamed a massive smile 

“ erm ,  Kuroo ?” 

“ hmmmm ?” 

The shark tilted his head 

“that shark... he  erm ... how did he get that scar on his arm? Also, his tail looked like half had been ripped off”

Tsukki looked saddened at that thought.  Kuroo side smiled at the blonde 

“ah, well you see none of us actually know the full details about what happened apart from his husband. We just know that he was in a really bad place at a bad time and that caused him to get seriously injured. Lev, his husband... he refuses to speak of the day he found  Yaku because the state he was in made his stomach churn and he felt like he was watching his last breaths. That necklace that you saw around  Yaku’s neck, that’s a symbol of marriage. The stone was infused with some magic from the  mana stone for protection, Lev swore he would never let anything like that happen to  Yaku ever again” 

Tsukki looked at  Kuroo sadly as he explained about the smaller shark 

“ mana stone you say?” 

The blonde squinted slightly 

“yeah, but that’s enough about that. Maybe one day  Yaku will tell us the full story about what happened to him that day, until then we can guarantee that Lev will risk his own life to save  Yaku’s ”

Kuroo smiled

“that must have been horrible though, seeing someone you love in that kind of state” 

“well, were used to it”

“what do you mean?” 

Tsukki frowned 

“well the land folk know that we exist. Were sharks,  ya know? Were very much show cased if caught, so we have to avoid certain places and hide when a boat comes near” 

“oh... I’m sorry--”

“don’t be! None of us dwell in it and it's just the way of life. Were all happy here where we have our friends and family. Not many people know that  Tarkein exist so”

Kuroo shrugged with a smile which made  Tsukki softly smile back 

“I haven't been here long but it does feel very homely”

Tsukki bowed his head

“hey, seeing as it's gotten really late and were both tired from swimming so much, why don’t you stay the night?” 

“oh! I couldn’t intrude like that!”

Tsukki got up suddenly

“don't be so silly! It would be my pleasure to have a prince stay at mine. You can have my bed; I have a small area over there by the window that I’m used to falling asleep on”

The shark smiled as he got up from his bed and grabbed a couple of seaweed blankets for the blonde

“here”

Tsukki smiled and bowed his head as he collected the blankets from  Kuroo’s arms 

“thank you, goodnight  Kuroo ”

The merman smiled and got on to the bed. He watched as  Kuroo swam over to the window area and curled his tail around to get comfortable 

Tsukki smiled as it didn’t take long for  Kuroo’s eyes to fall shut and he was in a deep sleep 

_ ~ he must be so tired; he’s done so much more swimming today then I have ~ _

The blonde pulled the blankets over his shoulder and smiled contently 

_ ~ it’s so different here compared to at home. The people are friendly and I’m treated like an equal which is super nice. I can’t believe I put my trust in a shark, what was I thinking? I would never usually take a risk like this but... but I’m glad I did. I like  _ _ Kuroo _ _ , he seems like a really nice shark and so did his friend... I... hmmm it’s so... warm ~ _

Tsukki’s eyes fell shut and he was finally sound asleep for the first time in a long time 

The morning came quickly was what  Tsukki thought as his eyes flickered open and the shining light glimmered through the water 

_ ~ hmmm that was one of the best sleeps I've ever--- where am I? Oh yeah ~ _

The blonde began blushing as he looked over to the window and saw that  Kuroo was no longer there, he frowned and sat up quickly to see the shark floating there holding a plate with oysters neatly placed 

“ erm ... I heard your stomach rumbling and thought I should do you some breakfast”

Kuroo blushed along with  Tsukki

“ah... that’s embarrassing” 

The merman covered his face and  Kuroo chuckled as he sat beside the blonde.  Tsukki was however starving and wasted no time in eating what the shark man had prepared for him 

“I really enjoyed my time with you yesterday”

Kuroo smiled softly at the blonde 

“so did I” 

“prince Tsukishima... I want to know more about you, I feel like there's so much to you and I just want to know it all! Does that make me weird? I don’t know but... I want to be there for you when you need to get away and I didn’t want to push too much on what happened yesterday because you seemed really upset, but... will you tell me a little bit about yourself now?” 

“this is the first time I've been able to leave and swim freely, it felt nice to be out and around you because it had been so long since I have been able to be myself, and around you... it seems like I can be. I did have someone I could talk to at one point who I was really close to, he was my ‘slave’ but I saw him more as a best friend. However, the moment I was seen getting close to someone... that someone... well let’s just say that he isn't around anymore and I blame myself entirely for that”

“why?”

Kuroo looked at  Tsukki with a sad frown but the blonde just closed his eyes and shook his head 

“what about the king? He’s your dad, right? Didn’t he wonder where your friend had gone and make a search party?”

“ erm , no. You see me and father's relationship isn't the best and whenever he got angry at me, he didn’t like the fact I would go and vent to my friend” 

“when he got angry? Is... is he the one that gave you that red mark on your cheek?” 

Kuroo asked with a slightly pissed off frown, but  Tsukki just looked down for a moment before he silently nodded. The shark felt his blood boil in irritation but took a deep breath to compose himself 

He placed the back of his fingers on  Tsukki’s abused cheek gently, the blonde was startled slightly as he looked at the shark with furrowed brows 

“I’m sure whatever happened that you did not deserve it”

Kuroo spoke softly.  Tsukki took a deep shaky breath before his eyes closed and he embraced the skin contact in which he had never felt before 

The prince could feel himself getting lost in the warmth and touch of the shark until his eyes whipped open and reality hit him hard as he swam up quickly 

“wait! What time of day is it right now?!” 

Tsukki asked in a panic 

“ erm , I think it's nearly midday”

“what?! I slept for that long? I need to get back! I need to get back before the king---”

“ woah ! Calm down!”

Kuroo quickly got up and grabbed the merman's arms 

“we will get you there as quick as possible, okay?”

The shark tried his best to reassure the prince 

“ah o-okay"

The blonde nodded in worry before  Kuroo grabbed his hand and swam out of his home quickly 

The two swam and swam and swam as fast as the possibly could.  Tsukki soon realised that sharks are much faster swimmers then  mer people and was super thankful for that as it was helping him get back quicker 

After a good hour of swimming they finally approached kingdom  Loistava ,  Kuroo stopped swimming suddenly which made  Tsukki halt also

“I’ll be stopping here”

Kuroo spoke as his eyes quickly diverted to a sign of a shark with a cross through it and smirked at the blonde 

“I’m sorry, the king clearly doesn’t know the truth about sharks”

“it’s fine, I’m just glad I managed to get you this far”

Kuroo smiled 

“thank you again, for everything”

Tsukki smiled brightly for the first time in many years.  Kuroo swam up to the merman and grabbed his hand 

“next time, I’ll be the one to come and visit you”

The shark brought  Tsukki’s hand to his lips and he kissed his knuckles before smiling 

“your majesty” 

He added making  Tsukki blush and his heart race

As  Kuroo turned to swim off  Tsukki smirked 

“be sure to follow the right shine this time” 

The blonde commented with a chuckle before turning and swimming in to the kingdom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we both hope you enjoyed chapter 3 of the collab!   
please please please leave a comment down below with your thoughts   
and visit myself and Sara on our twitters to view the amazing art!!   
@HaikyuuTrash (author)  
@Zerononiku (artist)


	4. The Warmth Of The Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers!! Me and @Zerononiku had a blast doing this chapter!!  
Please go to her twitter to check out the art ! It's amazing!!

A few days later and Kuroo was whistling away as he double checked his flat behind him making sure all was clean before he left. A giddy yet childish mood was how the shark felt as he hummed happily from his flat 

“what you so happy for?”

“Jesus-- woah damn Akaashi! You scared the life out of me”

Kuroo placed his hand on his chest and rolled his eyes 

“I’m surprised the whole tribe didn’t hear your happiness”

Kiyoko spoke as she approached the two males 

“happy? I don’t know what you're talking about. I’m just in a good mood”

“which could also mean you're happy”

Akaashi crossed his arms and smirked at the older shark

“wha-- ha—well I... what are you two doing anyway?”

Kuroo shook his head and tried to change the subject quickly 

“it’s national best friends' day. So, I’m treating Kiyoko to some lunch” 

“I thought you would have met up with Kenma or Bokuto?” 

The female shark looked at Kuroo confused 

“erm, yeah... well you see... I have a few errands to swim today so”

Kuroo tried to swim past the two but they both grabbed his tail, halting him instantly. The raven-haired shark slumped his shoulders and sighed before turning back to the two 

“I can’t get anything past you two, can I?” 

The best friends shook their head simultaneously.

Kuroo smirked a laugh 

“okay, I’m not swimming errands or celebrating best friends' day. But what I am doing I would really like to keep it to myself, just for now. Please?”

“okay. Have fun”

The two spoke and waved as they swam off together. Kuroo raised a brow in confusion 

_~ that was easy? ~_

The shark thought to himself as he jolted a turn and swam off and out of the tribe land

**At Kingdom Loistava**

Tsukki was in his room making his bed so that it was in perfect representation. He didn’t want to get scolded for living like a slum after all

Once it was all made, he sat in front of his mirror and turned to the side to check the healing process of his cheek. Now that it had finally gone down and was barely noticeable, he didn’t have to put make up on before leaving the castle. Which was a big relief as he was now running low and was frightened to ask the king for some more 

The Kingdom was quiet today, the people were busy with their day to day lives, the children played quietly in the streets and everyone was at peace. 

The silent sound of happiness made Tsukki at ease and he longed for more. He longed to see the shark man again, to feel his warm skin against his own, to hear his laugh and to listen to his stories. How the sharks really are nothing like what the King had told him

The Prince was suddenly frightened out of his thoughts as a rather loud knock came at his window of all places. He turned suddenly, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped as Kuroo was waving with a big smile on his face 

“what... the...”

The blonde quickly swam to the window and opened it to let the shark in 

“what are you? How are you? The guards?”

“I’m a shark, I’m good and I swam past them”

Kuroo beamed with a cheeky smile 

“not what I meant at all”

Tsukki mumbled as he stared in disbelief at the shark 

“did ya miss me?” 

Kuroo asked as he grabbed both of Tsukki’s hands.

The blonde couldn’t hold back the blush appearing on his cheeks as he nodded slightly 

“I did”

The shark smiled at Tsukki’s words and pulled him in to a greeting hug before pulling him away at arm's length 

“well, I’m here now! Tell me what you’ve been doing”

Kuroo’s sharp teeth glimmered in the kingdoms bright light as he smiled towards the Prince 

Somewhere in the castle the King was swimming and admiring all the portraits on the wall, hand carved in to the stone of the building itself, a representation of all those who have ruled the kingdom. He stood in front of his own and smirked as the rush of power he held over his people was like none other 

The King snarled as he looked up the hall feeling like something wasn’t right, as if something was out of place or unwelcome

He looked up and instantly assumed the Prince was doing something that’s causing this unnerving feeling deep inside him 

_~ why can’t that pesky boy give me a break ~_

He thought to himself as he swam the halls heading towards the royal tower

As he approached the stairs and swam his way up the sound of chuckles and voices made his ears bleed with anger. Who could the Prince possible have in his room that’s making him sound so happy?

The King listened in at the door and heard an unfamiliar voice, his nose scrunched and his eyes narrowed in anger 

_~ hasn’t that boy learnt by now? To not be around his friends! ~_

The King grit his teeth as he slammed open the door. His features froze as he stared at the Prince sat next to a shark of all creatures

Anger boiled deep within the Kings soul as his pupils dilated in fury 

“what the fuck! Is a shark doing in my kingdom!!”

His voice erupted through Tsukki’s ears and the merman squirmed in fear. Kuroo looked at the Prince who was clearly shaking and back to the King who was now making a slow swim towards them

“get out of my kingdom! You thieving creatures!”

The King suddenly dived towards Kuroo with his arms reached out with the intent to kill

“no!”

Tsukki cried out as he dived in front of the shark, Kuroo watched as the Prince was launched by his own father across the room so hard and fast that it made the blonde choke out and his eyes roll as the back of his head smashed against the wall  
The King didn’t hesitate to summon his trident and place all three spikes against Tsukki’s throat

“wait! Please!”

Kuroo swam up but stopped as the King turned to look at him and push the trident further in to Tsukki’s neck making the Prince gasp out

“I should kill you right here right now for bringing a shark in to the kingdom and risking our own people!”

The King almost growled as he pushed the trident further against the blonde's neck. Tsukki had his eyes squished shut, shaking as he waiting for his throat to be impaled 

“LEAVE SHARK!”

The King turned to Kuroo in fury

“LEAVE NOW OR I WILL STAB HIM RIGHT NOW!”

He added as more pressure was pushed against the blonde's neck and the Prince whimpered scared as he could feel the trident start to pierce his skin 

“okay, okay, okay! Fine! I’ll leave!”

Kuroo spoke with his hands in front of him as he looked between the King and Tsukki.

The King watched as Kuroo swam towards the window and as he opened it the King turned back to Tsukki with a glare 

“how dare you---”

The King was cut off as he was fully launched across the room and in to a wall 

“Prince!!”

Kuroo called as he held his arm out towards the merman. Tsukki looked over and saw the King lift himself up off the floor slowly with a groan

He looked towards Kuroo and grabbed his hand and they both quickly swam out the window and clear from the castle. As they swam out of Loistava Tsukki suddenly stopped

“Prince?” 

Kuroo looked at the blonde worried as he was still shaking in pure fear and shock 

“y-you... you attacked t-the King”

“I had to Tsukki! He was gonna hurt you!”

The shark truly sounded worried, upset and also angry at the situation 

“h-he will come looking for y-you... he will... I don’t... I don’t want him to kill you too! I don’t want you to die!”

Tsukki’s tears flowed like waterfalls as he tried to wipe them away as they came. Kuroo looked at him saddened and confused 

“again? What? Prince... I will _not_ die by his hands!” 

The shark placed his hands on the blonde's shoulders and couldn’t get over how much he was vibrating in dread

“come on, I’m taking you back to my tribe. You'll be safe there!”

Kuroo grabbed Tsukki’s hand and swam off swiftly towards his homeland 

The Prince was silent for the whole swim, holding Kuroo’s hand for dear life as the shark pulled him all the way. The merman was pale white, his eyes half lid and his thoughts continued to circle his mind as the shaking of his body never stopped 

“Prince? Were here. If were quick we can--”

“can what?” 

Kuroo whipped his head around quickly as he heard the familiar voice speak out from in front of him  
Yaku was floating with his arms crossed, Akaashi, Kiyoko and Goshiki next to him

The three who had not seen Tsukki before were floating in amazement as they stared at the merman wide eyed. The blonde was staring at the ground absentmindedly, not even realising he was in land Tärkein. Yaku looked at the blonde worried and swam closer to the two 

“Kuroo... what has happened?” 

The smaller shark asked as he could clearly see that Tsukki wasn’t in a good state. Kuroo looked at Yaku horrified and stuttered a few words before the small shark put his hand up to stop him 

“right. Let's not talk here, bring him back to mine where there's more room and we can get him sorted” 

Yaku turned to swim off whilst Akaashi, Kiyoko and Goshiki swam close behind. Kuroo nodded and looked at Tsukki who still seemed out of it and pulled him further in to the land of sharks 

**At the Haiba’s**

Lev was sat on the sofa fixing a plate he had accidently broken earlier that day. When suddenly the front door swung open and everyone made their way inside. The tall shark watched as everyone shuffled in and almost choked in shock when he saw a beautiful blonde merman swim in behind them 

“erm--”

“don’t say anything Lev, we just need to sort something out. For now, could you make these three something to drink”

Yaku pointed at Kiyoko, Akaashi and Goshiki who too looked worried for the merman. Lev nodded and silently swam to the kitchen 

Kuroo guided Tsukki past everyone and followed Yaku in to his room and got the Prince to sit down and relax on the bed 

“okay, now explain what happened” 

The small shark naturally sat beside Tsukki to provide some extra comfort as Kuroo explained all that had happened back at kingdom Loistava 

“so, what you're saying is the King of the mer people is crazy?” 

“he’s more than crazy”

Tsukki finally spoke 

“he’s insane... he... he has no mercy. Y-you can’t go back there K-Kuroo.... he will kill you. He kills everyone close to me! He's a monster! I... I” 

The blonde's tears flowed as his eyes began to shut and his body swayed

“c-can’t”

Was the last thing Tsukki was able to say before he cried himself in to an exhausted sleep. Kuroo’s bottom lip quivered as he felt the blonde rest his head on his shoulder 

Yaku looked at the merman with worry in his eyes and reached to wipe his tears away with his thumb

“Kuroo, we should keep him here, at least for a while. I’ll talk to the wise about it and I’m sure he will understand. Oh, and guys... it was obvious you were there”

Yaku turned his head with a raised brow towards three nosey sharks peeking around the door frame 

“is he going to be okay?” 

Goshiki asked as he swam in to the room with the other two 

“he sounded scared stiff”

Kiyoko looked at the sleeping Prince with a sad side smile

“if I may, I would like to make a proposal”

Akaashi bowed towards Kuroo and Yaku 

“and what would that be?”

Kuroo looked at the beautiful male shark 

“tonight, is the bonfire of friendship. Maybe we could all go to that, the Prince included and it may take his mind off of things. Also make him feel welcomed and at ease to be around us”

“that’s a brilliant idea. Let's welcome our guest with open arms, shall we?” 

“thank you, guys. I appreciate it” 

Kuroo bowed his head 

“where is Lev?” 

Yaku asked with a frown towards the three other sharks

“he said he felt the need to go out and get some food that the merman would eat”

Kiyoko explained and Yaku smiled slightly with a small blush brushing over his cheeks 

  
Later on, that night Tsukki’s eyes flickered open and before he could adjust to being awake a familiar shark was by his side looking at him with a soft smile 

“Prince, your finally awake. How are you feeling?”

Kuroo stroked the mermans cheek with his knuckles. The blonde sat up and looked around with a confused frown 

“where?”

“you fell asleep so Yaku said you can rest in his bed”

“I... how unruly of me. I must apologise at once”

Tsukki looked horrified at himself for intruding like that in someone else's home

“oh, ahaha there's no need to that. Yaku is like a parent to everyone and he would do it for anyone who passes out in his home... or even outside of his home... in fact he would just help anyone! He would find it strange if you said sorry to him”

The shark started laughing and Tsukki looked at him confused 

“where... where is everyone?” 

“oh, yeah! You’ve been invited to the bonfire; they are all waiting to meet you” 

Kuroo smiled and Tsukki looked at him plainly 

“a bonfire... under the sea? Have you eaten some dodgy seaweed Kuroo?”

“huh? Oh! Hahaha no, no, it’s magic fire obviously!”

The prince looked at the shark stunned and before he could go in to any other thoughts Kuroo grabbed his arm 

“come on! Let's not keep everyone waiting!”

The shark chanted as he quickly swam out of the house with Tsukki close by 

As they approached the main town area, Kuroo explain that where the bonfire was lit is where they usually have wrestling matches. Tsukki would have made a comment on the whole wrestling for fun but he saw the number of sharks sat around the fire talking and laughing with one another and it made his nerves spike and he stopped in his tracks.

Kuroo turned around to face the blonde and asked him what was wrong

“I... there's so many sharks... what if I’m not welcome--”

“don’t be silly! The wise was informed you were here and the situation and has accepted you as one of his own until you feel better. He said you can stay as long as you want, but he would like to meet you at some point. And as for everyone else... they are excited to see a mer person in real life. Don’t worry, everyone is friendly”

Kuroo smiled and held out his hand. Tsukki blushed and placed his hand on top of the others as they swam towards the gathering 

“HEY, HEY, HEY! KUROO!! OVER HERE!”

Bokuto called out waving his hands frantically. As Kuroo saw his best bro he smiled and shifted his head in their direction to Tsukki and they both swam other 

“it’s a pleasure to meet a merman and a Prince to boot!”

Bokuto smiled and held his hand out. Tsukki bowed towards the shark and shook his hand with a soft smile 

“you might not remember me from earlier, but my name is Akaashi Keiji and this is my partner Bokuto Koutarou”

“it was actually Akaashi’s idea to invite you this evening”

Kuroo butted in 

“thank you Akaashi, I appreciate it”

Tsukki grabbed one of the beautiful male sharks' hand in both his hands and bowed his head with a soft smile. Akaashi’s eyes widened in shock but soon softened as he smiled back 

Everyone around the bonfire introduced themselves to the merman and greeted him with such kindness as they accepted him on to their land  
The sharks weren't over bearing at all as they continued their night chatting and laughing amongst themselves. Tsukki too found himself talking and laughing a lot with Kuroo’s two best friends Bokuto and Kenma as they told him embarrassing stories about Kuroo and his idiotic yet prideful ways

Tsukki sat cupping a small rock that randomly got past around the giant circle and saw that it was engraved with some sort of friendship symbol. The Prince really felt like he was fitting in somewhere, for once in his life he felt free and didn’t care if it was only for that split moment, he was happy. 

A soft smile crept on the blonde's lips and he looked up and to the side to pass Akaashi the rock, but noticed how whilst talking to his partner his back was heating up from the colourful magic fire and a small pattern started to appear. Tsukki watched for a little bit longer in curiosity as eventually the mark showed a tribal shark 

“Akaashi?”

“hmmm?”

The shark turned around to face the prince 

“if you don’t mind me asking, what is that on your back?” 

Tsukki asked as he found it hard to take his eyes off the mark that had appeared. Akaashi looked over his shoulder with a frown which then turned in to realisation 

“I guess my back heated up huh? That there is my birth mark” 

The shark turned his body fully and curled his tail beside him to face the Prince 

“your birthmark only appears when your back is warm?”

“yes, it’s like a safety precaution. It could be quite dangerous for myself and others that too have a birthmark to be seen all the time”

“whys that?” 

Tsukki asked with full concentration and Akaashi chuckled with a slight blush 

“well, you see... male sharks that are born with the birthmark are able to... how do I say this? We are able to have children” 

The Prince looked at the beautiful shark in shock 

“so, male sharks can carry a child?” 

“those that have the birthmark can. We are a rare breed of shark, so there aren't many of us males that are able to do so” 

“do you find us sharks weird now? Do you think were freaks because some of our male species can get pregnant?” 

Kuroo interrupted the conversation and looked down saddened. Tsukki frowned and placed his hand on the shark's tail 

“of course, I don’t, Kuroo”

“really?”

Kuroo looked to the Prince with wide eyes

“I mean, I too have something I would like to admit”

Akaashi and Kuroo looked at each other with a frown before looking back at the blonde in curiosity 

“in the mer breed, anyone with the royal bloodline can carry a child. Which also means males too”

“wait... that means”

Tsukki nodded silently 

“yes, I too can carry children as I have royal blood running through my veins” 

“that’s so awesome!”

Kuroo beamed a happy smile towards the Prince and Tsukki looked at him softly 

“speaking of pregnancies! Mori is expecting!” 

Lev called out loud enough for everyone in the circle to hear as he placed his hand on Yaku’s flat stomach 

“LEV!”

The small shark pinched his husband's cheek 

“you can’t just yell out that, without consulting me first!”

Yaku added with a sulk and everyone cheered in happiness for the married couple. The small shark blushed but smiled at Lev with happiness. At least now they don’t have to be so secretive about why Yaku can’t do or eat certain things

Nearly everyone swam over to them to congratulate them 

“I’ll congratulate them later, whilst everyone is distracted let's slip out”

Kuroo smirked and swam off. Tsukki looked at the shark slightly confused but then followed closely behind him as they swam back to Kuroo’s apartment 

“I had a feeling Yaku was pregnant”

Kuroo expressed as they entered his home 

“how?” 

“well, just the way he’s been acting recently. I’ve never seen him eat so many shell fish in one sitting”

The shark started laughing 

“anyway, are you hungry?” 

He added as he turned to Tsukki who had his hands cupped and was blushing 

“n-no”

“what’s wrong?”

Kuroo swam towards the blonde 

“nothing, there's just something I would like to do”

_~ what I want to do is thank you! But... why am I getting so nervous? I’m a Prince after all, I’ve thanked many people in the past. I just need to shake his hand--- no... that doesn’t seem sincere enough. I know! I’ll kiss him on the cheek! ~_

Tsukki blushed harder 

“what--”

Kuroo was cut off as the Prince placed his hands on the shark's shoulders and pressed his lips on the others. Kuroo’s eyes widened in shock but the feel of Tsukki’s lips on his own, soft and sensual was almost transcending 

He closed his eyes and placed on hand on the blonde's cheek and the other on his waist as he continued to keep the kiss going

As they pulled away, a light blush appeared on both their cheeks as they stared in to one another's eyes. They placed their foreheads together and smiled like two idiots 

“Tsukki I--”

“please Kuroo, call me Kei”

The Prince smiled and pulled away 

“K-Kei”

Kuroo blushed at the sheer sound of his voice saying the Prince’s given name. The shark didn’t know what to do with himself as he felt like a bashful mess. It wasn’t much better for the merman as he looked away in shyness

_~ he’s amazing, I just want to hold him close to me and never let go. How the hell did someone so stunning fall for a shark like me... he’s a Prince! ~_

“Kuroo?”

The shark was shook from his thoughts as he turned to Tsukki 

“y-yeah ahem yes?”

_~ I’ve turned in to an idiot ~_

Kuroo cursed himself 

“I’m actually feeling rather tired”

“oh! Well, it is getting late. My bed is already made, you can sleep there again and I’ll--”

“sleep next to me?” 

Tsukki furrowed his brows towards the shark. Kuroo found it hard to keep himself sane and not scream out in happiness 

“I-I ah... y-yes. Of course”

The shark smiled and pulled back the seaweed and cloth sheets for Tsukki to get in, and as he did Kuroo got in next to him and laid there awkwardly before deciding to risk everything 

As he turned to see the blonde on his side facing away from him, he shuffled closer and placed his arm around him in a warm yet gentle hold. Tsukki smiled at the comfort 

“thank you, Kuroo” 

“please, call me Tetsurou”

The Prince blushed and smiled as he shuffled back in to the sharks hold and they both drifted off in to a very secure and loving sleep 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a comment it will be greatly appreciated   
And check out our Twitter's   
@Haikyuutrash11   
@zerononiku


	5. When Blood Runs Cold...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ******* warning! there are scenes in this chapter that may trigger some readers!! read with caution!! *******
> 
> check out my twitter @HaikyuuTrash11  
and check out the amazing artist who creates the art for this story!! @Zerononiku

A few days later,  Kuroo and  Tsukki were swimming around Tä rkein’s market looking at all the pretty shops and what were sold within them. All of which were so different from the Prince’s home land, that he was almost overwhelmed with beauty as he swam in and out of the shops with excitement shimmering in his eyes 

The two found themselves swimming along the side of the market 

Kuroo watched  Tsukki as he swam ahead slightly with a basket on his arm which he had bought from a litter wielding shop, a shop that had found good use out of all the rubbish that the land folk threw in to the sea 

The blonde was picking up random shells, pebbles, plants and rocks, examining them with a blushing smile before placing each item in his basket

Kuroo watched him with a confused grin and decided to ask the Prince why he was picking pretty much everything up to take back with him.  Tsukki looked at the shark realising that all of this is completely normal to him, things that he had got to see every day of his life, was now being looked at like it was the most wonderful thing in the world 

“I... well back where I come from everything is shiny yes, but it’s also very plain in colour when you look close enough. A lot of it looks lifeless or like it’s been put there to  _ try _ and look pretty, nothing looks natural or even remotely interesting. However, here everything just looks so colourful, full of life, warm with a bit of edge behind it. Sort of like it has a story to tell in a sense... I guess the shark tribe can thank the corals and volcano’s for the most beautiful touch to the land” 

“Kei, your just full of so much love for things”

Kuroo smiled and kissed the Prince on the cheek.  Tsukki blushed slightly and looked down at a rainbow coloured shell in his hand before placing it in his basket 

“oh! There you are!”

The two turned to see a familiar female shark approaching them with a massive smile on her face 

“ Saeko ? You were looking for us?” 

Kuroo asked confused 

“yeah, the wise has opened his doors today and said that he would quite like to meet the merman that has been swimming around the tribe” 

She winked at  Tsukki . The Prince gripped the basket tightly without realising and watched as the two sharks had a conversation where they laughed a little and joked about a few of their shared friends

Saeko smiled at the merman before swimming off to join the other sharks she was previously with 

“well isn't that great? The wise wants to meet you!”

Kuroo turned happily to the Prince, but his smile dropped when he saw Tsukki just staring off in to the distance with his brows furrowed 

“Kei? What's wrong?” 

The shark swam closer to the blonde

“it’s just... what if the wise doesn’t like me? What if he doesn’t like the thought of a merman swimming around? What if he asks me to leave? What if--”

“Kei. Everything will be okay! The wise is nothing at all like your father, you have nothing to worry about. The wise will welcome you in to his home with open arms like every shark has opened their arms to you being around the tribe. Please don’t worry, I’ll be here the whole time! He just wants to meet you and I am sure he will love you”

Kuroo smiled at the Prince and  Tsukki’s furrowed brows loosened off a little bit before he nodded slowly 

The shark pulled  Tsukki in to a hug of reassurance, and as he pulled away, he smiled and kissed the merman on the cheek and laced his fingers in between the blondes 

“let’s go” 

** At  ** ** Nekomata’s ** ** (the wise) place **

The old male shark was sat outside the front of his home with his eyes closed, a soft smile on his face and a cup of hot seaweed tea in his hands 

“wise?” 

“ hmmmm ?” 

Nekomata opened his eyes slowly to see  Kuroo and  Tsukki floating in front of him 

“ahhh Kuroo, you came to see me today. Oh, and you brought your partner with you!”

Both the shark and merman blushed at the wises words as they watched him swim up and over to them with a warm smile 

“please, come in”

The wise invited them as he swam in to his home

The two followed quickly behind him and bowed before entering through the front door 

“ ahhh no need for formalities. I’ve known you since you were a little pup! like everyone else, I see you as one of my own”

The old shark chuckled as he took a seat on one of the comfortable puffed with moss rocks.  Tsukki watched as the two laughed between them as if it was an old family reunion, and something inside of him felt warm, as if his whole skin tingled with love and joy

Nekomata diverted his attention to the blonde which shocked the Prince as he was nervous on how to speak to someone who would technically be in charge of the whole tribe 

“a merman huh? I haven't seen your kind for many  many years. I was starting to think you were extinct” 

“wait! You’ve met a merman before?” 

Kuroo asked in shock 

“not just mermen, mermaids too! Wonderful creators they are. Beautiful to the eye with such warm and loving personalities. The way their tails fan out and flutter with the sea current, truly amazing” 

The wise explained as he looked at  Tsukki in all his royal beauty with a soft smile across his lips 

“please, place your basket over there and take a seat. Would you like something to drink you two?” 

Nekomata asked as he swam over to what looked like a kettle and began heating the water inside with a small gem like stone which lit up with beautiful purple and blue flames.  Tsukki watched in amazement as the flame reminded him of that night around the camp fire 

“thank you for allowing me to be here”

Tsukki bowed 

“ha! It wasn’t me who allowed it, but everyone else. From what I heard a merman came to Tärkein and had taken quite the shine to Kuroo, one of our very loyal sharks. Before I knew it everyone had welcomed you with open arms and how could I say no? I mean not like I would have any way. It just turns out you were long accepted here before even  _ you _ knew” 

“I... I don’t know what to say” 

The blonde blushed at the wise as he cupped the drink that was made for him.  Kuroo was leaning back on his arms and was smiling over at the merman 

“well, let’s start with getting to know each other?”

The wise smiled as he sat opposite  Tsukki

The three of them spent the next half an hour getting to know each other a little better. Nekomata had found out quite a few things about the merman; his age, his height, his love for the shark tribe, his fondness for Kuroo, the love of the warm water etc etc

“your very interesting Tsukishima Kei. I can’t remember the last time someone praised  Tä rkein so much”

Nekomata began laughing joyfully 

“but tell me a little bit more about where you're from and what you do for a living”

Tsukki stared at the wise, trying to hold back all mortifying thoughts of life back home as he gripped his cup tighter and looked down.  Nekomata frowned with his head tilted slightly and  Kuroo sadly smiled 

“maybe we should discuss that another time--”

“no, it’s fine”

Tsukki interrupted  Kuroo as he looked over to him with a gentle smile before turning to the wise

“back where I’m from, I am... I’m... I’m a Prince... I’m a royal.”

Nekomata’s brow twitched which made  Tsukki frown ever so slightly in confusion 

“you're from the royal line...”

The wise spoke plainly which made  Kuroo look between the elder shark and merman 

“is that a problem?” 

Kuroo spoke up as he frowned at the wise.  Nekomata sighed and shook his head 

“of course, it isn't. It just took me by surprise is all” 

The wise smiled at the blonde 

“you just don’t seem like... the  mers royal type”

Nekomata added as he was generally confused 

“sometimes I feel like I’m not a part of them. I feel as if I should have been born in to a different family, like my place wasn’t at my fathers side”

“I see” 

“but! Please don’t look at me as a Prince, or any differently! I promise I’m not like them--”

“don’t you worry. I can already tell that you are more grounded then the royals” 

The wise smiled lovingly towards the blonde and the three carried on chatting amongst themselves 

Nekomata couldn’t help but notice that when he was talking to  Kuroo ,  Tsukki was looking around the area with his eyes shining in delight at his surroundings 

“Tsukishima?”

“hmmm?” 

The blonde was shook from his thoughts as the wise called out to him 

“would you like a tour?” 

“oh! I wouldn’t want to impose” 

“impose? Well of course you won't be! It's been a while since I have had such nice company and a damn long time since someone has thought everything in just this one room is amazing”

Nekomata chuckled and  Tsukki blushed with how easily impressed it must seem he gets 

“I would love a tour”

The blonde bowed his head and swam up from his seat.  Kuroo smiled as he swam up to  Tsukki and they waited for the wise to lead the way 

It was safe to say on the tour around the wises house  Tsukki was absolutely overwhelmed with the beautiful scenery that surrounded him 

But something caught his eye, something that was drawing him in, his mind astray and his whole being was drifting towards this glass cabinet that had a slight shine in it 

“what... what’s in there?”

Tsukki asked not taking his eyes off the glowing object 

“ ahhhh in here! This is a prize possession!”

The wise perked up as he swam over quickly and opened up the glass door.  Tsukki held his arms up covering his face slightly as he squinted. Once the light dimmed down, he focused his direction at a glowing stone and his eyes widened 

“this here is a  mana stone. It provides all the magic we use within the tribe. The fires, the shows, the performers and even magic essence that is put with a gem that resembles marriage” 

“that stone that  Yaku wears around his neck is infused with magic. Lev decided he wanted it to contain safety and wellbeing, especially after he found his husband that time”

Kuroo added to the wises explanation 

“why do you still call that boy  Yaku still? He's married to Lev now, surely you can call him  Morisuke ” 

“eh?! But Wise! It just doesn’t sound right when I say it! It never will, he will always be  Yaku to me” 

Kuroo explained and  Nekomata just laughed with him 

“please. Excuse me”

Kuroo and the wise looked in worry as  Tsukki quickly swam off and out of the house 

“Kei! Wait! Kei!!”

The shark quickly swam after the blonde who wasn’t listening to him as he continued to swim as fast as he could. Unfortunately for him though, sharks swim faster and  Kuroo managed to catch up to him and grab his wrist to stop him in his tracks 

“Kei, what’s happened? What's wrong?”

“don’t touch me!”

Tsukki whipped his arm away from the shark and turned to him with a horrified expression

“ wh -what? What did I do?” 

“you  deceived me! I trusted you! How could you!”

The blonde's eyes started to tear up as he clutched his fist in front of his chest.  Kuroo frowned in confusion 

“deceived you? how have I deceived you?” 

“that  mana stone... was stolen... from us! My father told me all the stories about the shark tribe and how they stole our magic right from under us! And I believed him until I met you and everyone else! But now... now I really can’t trust anyone”

“excuse me?! My tribe did  _ NOT! _ Steal that  mana stone! It belongs to us and always has done! Ever since it was handed to us by--”

“you're a liar!”

“I am not a liar!” 

“yes, you are! You have what belongs to  Loistava and I trusted you along with everyone else and yet... and yet I  _ always _ get hurt!”

“you're not the only one who is hurt Kei! Your accusing me and my kind of stealing something that never once belonged to you!”

“I... I don’t even want to look at you” 

Tsukki’s lip quivered before he turned to swim away 

“Kei!”

“DON’T FOLLOW ME!” 

The Prince snapped as he whipped his head around, now with tears fully flowing down his cheeks and in to the open water.  Kuroo frowned in anger, hurt and upset as he watched the merman swim off and out of his sight 

Tsukki swam out of  Tä rkein and in to the open water where his thoughts took a hold of him 

_ ~ this can’t be, this can’t be, this can’t be! I trusted them... I trusted him. What am I going to do? I can’t believe this has happened... why? Why? Why? Why?! I have to know the truth; I need answers and I need them now! I need... I need to go back home... I need to speak to father ~ _

** At  ** ** Loistava **

The King floated outside the castle doors with his arms crossed over his chest as his eyes scanned across the people living their day to day lives

He sighed in annoyance before he was about to turn back in to the castle 

That was until he caught a familiar glimpse of a merman swimming in to the kingdom. He squinted to get a better look and was shocked when he saw the Prince swimming towards him with red puffy eyes 

“Kei!” 

The King called out and swam quickly towards the blonde where he stopped right in front of him 

“father I--”

Tsukki was cut off as the King wrapped his arms around him in a tight loving embrace 

“my son. I was so worried when you left with that shark... I thought something bad might have happened when you didn’t return” 

Tsukki’s eyes widened in shock but he loosened off and allowed the loving warmth from his father to take over his vulnerable, upset and scared state 

“father, I need to ask you some things if I may?” 

The King pulled back and nodded 

“of course, but first let's get you back inside”

Tsukki nodded and followed the King back in to the castle

As they got settled in the giant living room the King held out his arm for the Prince to take a seat, and as he did so the King also took a seat next to him 

“what is it that you wanted to ask me?” 

“I... I wanted to know about the  mana stone” 

The King narrowed his eyes at the blondes words 

“why? You already know we had it stolen from us” 

“yes, but I wanted to know how it was stolen, why it was stolen... I mean there must have been a reason”

“what reason other than the sharks are ragged tail scum bags who think it is appropriate to take what isn't rightfully theirs!” 

The Kings natural anger started to come through 

“but that’s the thing! I was told--”

“of course, you were told! You would believe anything that is said to you, wouldn’t you? You naïve boy!” 

Tsukki looked at the King in fear as now he started to remember why it was, he hadn't returned. But he needed more answers, he needed to know both sides of the story 

“father... was the stone originally ours?”

The blonde looked down sadly and the King grit his teeth as his pupils dilated 

“YOU ASK TOO MANY QUESTIONS!”

The older merman now fully outraged swam up and gripped the back of  Tsukki’s neck tightly before dragging him out of the room. The blonde wasn’t new to these stunts the King pulled, in fact he was waiting to receive some sort of punishment for leaving when he did 

But what he was new to was the stairs that he was being dragged down. Fear rattled through his entire body as he realised, they were heading towards the dungeons under the castle 

“father! Wait! Please! I-ugh!”

The King squeezed the back of the Prince’s neck hard to shut him up and the poor blonde couldn’t fight back. Something about his father had him still as a rock and unable to fight back

The Prince was thrown in one of the torture rooms and he skidded across the floor with an almost roll. He sat up shaking as he watched the King approach him with fury in his eyes. The blonde felt tiny compared to his father, like a little rabbit surrounded by foxes. But this was one man, one man with the power to crush a thousand 

Tsukki choked out as he was gripped by the throat and slammed on to a massive rectangular rock, the wind taken right from him as his eyes watered in fright 

“YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR PLACE!” 

The King growled as he strapped  Tsukki’s arms above his head with some tattered leather straps 

“s-stop... p-please... I’m  sor \--”

The blonde was cut short as the King back handed him across the face 

“SHUT UP!”

Tsukki flinched but didn’t move his head back from where it was whipped to. The King proceeded to strap the blonde down. It took three leather straps to tie the tail down and once it was complete the King smirked sadistically before swimming back to look at the defenceless Prince

“the next time I see you, you will be a little bit different” 

The King laughed before leaving the room

The sound of the iron gate slamming between the rocks made  Tsukki jolt as he slowly turned his head to look at the almost empty room. The only things surrounding him were chains hanging against the walls with hand and feet shackles for restraint. He whimpered in sadness as tears trickled down his cheeks and he closed his eyes to distract himself. But the thoughts he had made him even more upset as all he could think about was the shark tribe and  Kuroo

_ ~  _ _ Tetsurou _ _ ... why? Why did I leave you... I’m sorry. Please forgive me... I’m scared and... I don’t think I will ever be able to see you again. I think I might... I think I might die here, and I never got a chance to tell you how I truly feel. I don’t want to die here... I want to see you again, and everyone else;  _ _ Akaashi _ _ ,  _ _ Bokuto _ _ ,  _ _ Kenma _ _ , Kiyoko, Lev,  _ _ Yaku _ _ , the wise and everyone else. I want to feel the warmth of the water again, I want to see all the beautiful colours, I want... I want to feel your warm skin against mine, your lips against mine, your touch, your breath... I want to hear your stupid laugh and see your stupid smile. I’m sorry ~ _

Tsukki whimpered and tried to pull against the restraints until he was startled still as the iron door opened. An unfamiliar merman made his way inside with a plain expression and the Prince frowned in worry 

“who are you? What's going to happen to me?” 

Tsukki asked in a panicked tone 

“I’m sorry, I’ll try and make this quick” 

The merman spoke plainly and swam over to the prince and floated over the top of him. The blonde stared up at him confused 

“a-are you going to kill me?” 

The Prince gulped waiting for the reply. The stranger shook his head slowly and almost sadly as he placed a hand on the blonde's waist. Tsukki narrowed his eyes down to the touch and the back up to the stranger as he stared at him horrified 

“n-no... surely--”

“I’m here to impregnate you.” 

Tsukki turned pale and his facial expressions in to that of pure panic 

“no! Wait! Please!”

The stranger ignored  Tsukki’s pleads and ran his hand over the top part of the Prince’s tail right under his stomach

The blonde tried tugging at the restraints 

“no!! Please!! Stop!! Stop!! You can’t! I’m  begg —ugh!”

Tsukki turned his head in disgust as he felt the stranger push down on his tail in a certain area that would allow his private area to reveal itself 

The stranger continued to push, prod and massage over the area until eventually a slit opened up and  Tsukki’s tentacle like penis pushed through out in to the open 

“p-p-please... s-stop"

The Prince begged as his whole body shook in fear. The stranger frowned and shook his head trying to ignore the Prince and the clear indications that he didn’t want this and that he was scared stiff 

He gripped  Tsukki’s shaft and began to stroke up and down, all whilst raising it up slightly to see another small slit underneath 

“ha... ugh...  st -stop... I-I don’t want this! Please!”

Tsukki yelled out as he struggled against all restraints holding him down, and what sickened him more was that with the amount of stroking the stranger was providing he was now becoming hard 

“ ahhhhh !!!”

The Prince screamed out for help repeatedly, just over and over and over again until his voice almost broke. His heart was raising and his body was trembling in dread as the stranger wasn’t seeming to let up and was just pushing further and further against all his boundaries 

Tsukki’s head eventually rolled to the side and he stared out in to the empty room 

_ ~  _ _ Tetsurou _ _ ... I’m sorry... please forgive me. I’ve messed up... this is all my fault... maybe... maybe this is what I deserve ~ _

Tears started to stream down the blonde’s cheeks with thoughts of the shark

The stranger looked up at the Prince’s limp, frail and trembling body. He's brows furrowed before he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He looked down and placed his finger over the slit below the shaft and began to push his fingers past the very tight rim

“ugh...  hnnnn ”

Tsukki’s bottom lip quivered as he tried to hold back the lump of bile climbing up his throat

“I’m just going to make this quick. I’m sorry!”

The stranger spoke quickly and removed his fingers before placing the tip of his tentacle like dick against the tight slit 

“I was... I was s-saving myself” 

The stranger stopped and looked up to  Tsukki who had just mumbled those words 

“I wanted my first to be with him... with the person I cared about the most... but... that was never going to happen, was it? My destiny was already decided for me the moment I was born... I don’t deserve--- I just... I--”

The Prince cut himself off as he burst in to tears, tears of upset, anger, fury, disappointment and realization of the situation he was in 

The stranger looked at him sadly, watched how the blonde was just breaking down underneath him, how he was so vulnerable and undeserving of all this and yet, he was blaming himself 

“fuck” 

The stranger cursed as he pulled away from  Tsukki and swam to the side slightly before falling to his tail and hands 

“I can’t do this! I can’t force myself upon you! I just don’t have it in me! I’m so... so sorry!”

Tsukki watched in shock as the strangers shoulders began to shake and tears fell from his eyes and floated down to the stone floor 

“ th -then why are you?”

The blonde’s voice cracked 

“my family... he has my wife and children... he has them locked up! And... and he told me to do this otherwise... he will have them all killed!”

The stranger slammed his fists against the floor before he quickly swam up and untied all of the restraints holding the Prince down.  Tsukki quickly sat up and rubbed his wrists and tail to re-adjust himself 

“why didn’t you do it? You could have had your family back”

“because, I don’t have it in me to put my hands on someone else let alone by force. I never ever wanted to hurt you, scare you or take your... virginity. I didn’t want to get you pregnant just because I was ordered to, plus... I can tell your heart isn't here... it’s with someone else very dear to you. I love my wife, I love my children, I’m just going to have to find a way to free them”

_ ~ wow. The King really went to this extent? This guy is completely innocent and was targeted by my father... I can’t let him get away with this! ~ _

Tsukki swam next to the stranger and placed his hands on his shoulders 

“you're a good man and do not deserve this vile treatment from my father. I have a plan, but you need to play along”

The stranger frowned at the Prince 

“when my father returns, I will pretend that the dead was done, he will return your family to you. But the moment he does you need to leave, you hear me? You need to get as far away as possible, take your family and start a new” 

Tsukki looked the stranger in the eyes in all seriousness and received a worried nod from him 

Some time went by before the King returned to the dungeon room.  Tsukki was laying curled up on his side shivering whilst the stranger sat on the edge of the rectangular stone with his head down 

“has your seed been planted?!”

The stranger nodded towards the King 

“is that true?!” 

The King growled at  Tsukki who was still curled up and with a whimper he nodded. The King smirked

“very well”

He turned to the guards 

“let his family free. We no longer need them” 

“yes, sir!”

The guards nodded and quickly lead the way.  Tsukki watched and waited until the guards and the stranger had left before sitting up

“now my boy, how does it feel to be impregnated with the next in line to the throne?” 

The King asked with all smug covering his face

“I wouldn’t know”

“huh?!”

The King swam towards the Prince.  Tsukki looked up with a slight smirk 

“that man is nothing like you. He has pride and a heart! He didn’t impregnate me!”

“why you little!!”

The King charged towards  Tsukki and gripped a hand full of his blonde locks, violently ripping him towards him 

“you little shit! You lied to me!” 

Tsukki was launched across the room and his back slammed against the wall before he slid down it whilst choking. Before the blonde could register what had happened, he opened his eyes and the King was already in front of him 

“no wait I—ah!!”

Tsukki’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped. The King had swung his arm back and with full force punched the blonde in the stomach

“I wouldn’t have punched you so hard if you had just done as you were told!” 

The King growled and gripped the top of  Tsukki’s hair to drag him across the room. The blonde held his arms up and gripped his head to try and reduce the pain, however that didn’t work as he felt his hair being ripped right from his scalp with the force the King was pulling him

The King held  Tsukki up to eye view by his hair and scowled at him, the Kings pupils fully dilated once again as he stared almost through the blonde 

Tsukki’s face scrunched up in discomfort and his body was frozen in fear as he looked at his father horrified 

“f-father... let go... p-please" 

“YOU HAVE SOME NERVE!!” 

The King yelled as he started repeatedly punching his son in the face with no signs of mercy

Tsukki cried out with each impact and begged for the King to stop

After around eight punches the King threw the Prince to the floor.  Tsukki began to cough up some bile and spit blood from where his teeth met impact with his inner cheeks, his lip had split and was now trickling blood down his chin whilst he could barely open his left eye 

He held his hand up to his face and winched in pain as he could already feel the swelling. Tears pricked at his eyes but only managed to fall down his right cheek 

_ ~ I want to leave, I want to go, I want to get out of here-- ~ _

“AHHHHHH!!!”

Tsukki screamed out as he felt three very sharp points pierce through his tail. He looked in horror to see the King holding his trident up before slamming it down hard enough for it to pierce through all his scales of skin, hard enough in fact that trails of blood followed the tridents points as it left his tail

“AHHHH NO! S-STOP! P-PLEASE FATHER!”

The blonde cried harder than before as his tail was beginning to tingle in excruciating pain

“WHY.ARE.YOU.SUCH.A.FUCKING.USELESS.PIECE.OF.SHIT!”

In between each word the King stabbed his trident in to the Prince’s tail, getting harder and harder the more times he stabbed him 

Tsukki laid on his side jolting with each set of abuse. His eyes began to shut as everything around him began to blur 

“I’m not fucking done with you yet!” 

The King growled as he picked the blonde up by his throat 

The Prince’s body just hung limp in the Kings hold 

“this all could have be avoided if you had just done as you were told. Tell me Kei, why can’t you just cooperate with me?” 

The King waited for a reply and when he didn’t get one straight away, he tightened his grip around his son's throat and shook him until he had an answer 

“TELL ME!!” 

“I-I... c-can't... I c-couldn’t--”

“WHY?!” 

The King dropped his trident and slammed his fist in an upper cut style in to the blonde's sternum, and if he could the Prince would have choked out. But due to the tight grip the King had around his throat the only thing that past his lips was a slight whimper

“I’m... I’m... I’m in love with  Tetsurou !”

The King narrowed his eyes and loosened his grip 

“what? Who the fuck is  Tetsurou ?!” 

He almost spat in the Prince’s face 

“s-shark. I’m in love with a shark! I love Kuroo Tetsurou!” 

Tsukki cried and gasped as the grip around his throat tightened even harder than before 

“you are an absolute disgrace!”

The grip got tighter 

“falling in love with a shark!!”

Tighter

“are you trying to give this kingdom a bad name!”

Tighter 

“let’s see who you will be saying you love with no voice”

Tighter 

“when I break your fucking throat!!”

A very loud echoing snap filled the room as the Kings grip clenched at its tightest around the frail Prince’s skinny neck. Tsukki’s eyes widened for a split second before they rolled back and he slumped to the floor the moment the King let go

The King snapped his fingers and the trident reappeared in his hand, he pointed it to the blonde lying on the floor and grunted 

“you deserved everything that happened to you.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes before swimming over to his barely conscious son and noticed his chest and gills were barely moving 

“weak too. If you die on me you were barely worth being alive in the first place”

He groaned as he picked the blonde up and swung him over his shoulder to swim out of the dungeon room with him 

The King swam with his son making small quiet gasps on his shoulder out to the back of the castle where no one goes and dropped him on a pile of long- spined sea Urchins

The spines pierced and stuck in to the  mermans skin and he couldn’t move to do anything about it.  Tsukki weakly brought his hand to his throat as he couldn’t breath and gasped for air 

“we are due an extremely cold current tonight boy, and I know your body can’t handle the cold. So, let’s see if you are worth my time. If you can survive the night out here in the freezing cold, I will give you another chance. Prove to me that you are not weak!!” 

The King grunted before swimming away and disappearing from the Prince’s sight, along with everything else as his vision blurred and everything went black

The current had gotten fiercer, colder and louder. It was dark by the time the Prince managed to flutter his eyes open

He would have gasped if he could but he soon remembered the horrific state he was in. He couldn’t breathe, could hardly move and all he felt was his whole body paralyzed in pain

“uh--ugh—ah— gha "

The blonde shuddered from the biting cold current. His voice was completely broken and he couldn’t even cry out for help

He tried to sit up but his tail felt like it was about to grate right off his skin with how badly pierced it was, blood still pouring from all his wounds as he watched the red fluid float in to the distance 

_ ~ it’s so cold, it’s so dark. I can't move my tail... I can’t breathe ~ _

Tsukki made small gasping noises trying to get enough oxygen before trying to sit up

A bright shimmering dot in the distance caught the Prince’s eye. He squinted slightly to get a better look but with no luck he attempted to move towards it

At first, he stumbled and fell back down but eventually he got up and floated for a split second before the fast-moving current took him by surprise and flew him across the land

Everything spun and it all happened so quickly, before he knew it he had stopped when he hit a large rock and groaned in pain 

He soon realised the current had dragged him to the outskirts of the kingdom 

The blonde shivered as a chill coursed his whole body and he wrapped his arms around his upper half as he curled in on himself 

_ ~ what... what is that? ~ _

Tsukki thought to himself as he saw the same dot in the distance, a bright light, as shimmering wonder 

The current kicked up again and the blonde used it to his advantage and allowed it to carry him in the direction it flowed, which just so happened to be in the direction of the small light ahead 

_ ~ cold... so... cold ~ _

the blonde’s eyes began to fall shut again but he tried with all his might to shake it off and continue to get to the light ahead

Some time went by, the merman had no idea how much time but he knew it was a lot as the unbearable daunting of tiredness swept through him multiple times. The want to give up but the need to reach the light was all that circled his mind

His arms were tired from swimming so far without using his tail that when he stopped, he realised how much he must have been pushing his entire body as it racked up multiple stabbing sensations across his whole being, physically and mentally

_ ~ it’s brighter... it’s just there... if only I could ~ _

Tsukki stared at the light in the distance through half lid eyes, his arm reached out to try and touch it but he jolted still as he throat felt like it had fully closed up. He placed his hand around his neck and tried to breath, tears streaming down his cheeks as he couldn’t

Darkness loomed over him once again as his whole body hit the floor kicking up sand from underneath him 

** At  ** ** T ** ** ä ** ** rkein **

Bokuto was working his dreaded night shift breaking up the fallen nets from the outskirts of his home land 

He just wanted to be at home with  Akaashi , holding him close as they ate random bits of munch the beautiful shark had bought earlier that day

“ ahhhhhhh , how is there  _ this _ many nets?!” 

The shark grunted as he broke up some more nets and threw it in to the giant basket that gets picked up in the morning by a different shift worker 

Bokuto continued to break up the nets when he stopped suddenly as he smelt something delightful. His head perked up and he scanned the tribe land, he squinted and turned to look behind him 

He couldn’t see anything but boy did that scent smell absolutely amazing, he decided to follow it away from the broken nets and in a direction away from Tärkein 

The scent got stronger and stronger until he saw streams of blood floating past him, not extremely thick but thick enough for a  shark's sight to spot. He frowned and followed the thin flow as it got thicker and he stopped suddenly as the sight before him put him in a state of shock 

Tsukki’s beauty was hidden behind all the cuts, bruises, graces and swelling that covered him along with the blood that flowed from his body and the sand that covered him like a thin layer of dirty skin

Bokuto stared and the  mermans gills and noticed them not moving

“Prince?!” 

The shark swam quickly towards the unconscious blonde and carefully rolled him on to his back, and that’s when he saw the dark purple bruising around his throat 

“Prince?! Prince Tsukishima!!”

Bokuto panicked and shook his shoulders slightly to get him to wake

“oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god!” 

The shark placed his fingers on the blondes neck in hope to find a pulse 

“please be alive, please be alive” 

Bokuto bit his lip and waited for some sort of indication, and when he felt the pulse his shoulders dropped in relief 

But he couldn’t relax yet, he knew that  Tsukki was far from being okay. He needed to get him to the wise and quickly 

Bokuto made sure to pick the merman up tenderly and hold him in his arms securely as he swam back in to Tärkein as fast as he could. He felt sick with how the Prince looked and couldn’t bear to think what Kuroo was going to say when he finds out 

“MOVE! MOVE OUT THE WAY!” 

Bokuto yelled as he swam through the tribe town making the villagers gasp in shock at the sight of the limp merman in the sharks arms

He rushed past everyone and somehow managed to avoid all buildings and rocks that were in the way 

Without so much of a knock he barged in to  Nekomata’s home 

“WISE!! HELP HIM!” 

The shark cried out in panic 

Nekomata was in the middle of a small meeting with Lev, Yaku,  Akaashi and  Kenma . They all turned and swam up in complete worry over the Prince, the wise placed his cup quickly on the side before swimming over to  Bokuto and ordering him to take  Tsukki in to the back room immediately. The shark nodded and swam with the Prince still unconscious in his arms 

He placed him on a soft seaweed made bed and his head rolled to the side.  Nekomata rummaged through many cupboards and drawers for medicines to help the merman 

Bokuto held  Tsukki’s hand and begged him to be okay and to wake up 

The wise took what felt like forever to figure out what the Prince needed until it became clear 

“he will not survive unless we use the  mana stone.  Bokuto , fetch it now along with 4 jars and seaweed cloth”

Bokuto nodded and rushed off.  Nekomata looked at the merman sadly as he ran his fingers through his short blonde hair 

“don’t worry, we will save you” 

The wise promised as he waited for  Bokuto to get back 

** At  ** ** Kuroo’s ** ** place **

Lev had swam as fast as he could to  Kuroo’s apartment and was banging as hard as he could repeatedly on the door 

Kuroo had whipped it open with an angered frown 

“what the bloody hell are you doing?! I was in the middle of making something”

“I’m sorry! It just--”

Lev stopped in his tracks as he became breathless from how fast he had swam

“what is up with you? Come in”

“there's no time!”

“for what?!”

Kuroo frowned in irritation

“it’s Tsukishima”

“ugh what about him?”

The raven-haired shark rolled his eyes and went to swim back in to his apartment

“look, I know you two have had a row and you don’t want to see him. But you might change your mind when you find out that he’s basically on his death bed”

“what?” 

Kuroo turned in shock and Lev looked down sadly 

“it would seem that he has been... beaten up... and basically left for dead” 

“where is he now?!” 

Kuroo swam right up to Lev and looked at him with pleading eyes 

“he’s getting treated at the wises right now”

Before Lev could even finish  Kuroo swam past the taller shark and rushed all the way to  Nekomata’s and the taller shark swam right behind him 

** At  ** ** Nekomata’s **

“you are joking, right?”

Akaashi asked the wise in disbelief 

“who... what... why would someone do  _ that _ to him?” 

Kenma asked with a sickened expression

“I don’t know, but what I do know is that  Kuroo isn't going to take it well”

Nekomata sighed 

“Lev should be back any minute”

Yaku spoke with furrowed brows and his hand resting on his stomach

As if on que Kuroo came barging through the door 

“where is he?!” 

He asked in a panic and  Nekomata quickly swam up to him and placed his hands on the sharks elbows

“he’s in the back-room unconscious. He's stable now but... I need to tell you something before you see him” 

Kuroo looked at the wise confused as he was guided to a seat

“Tsukishima has multiple injuries. His tail was ripped and torn to shreds with many  many stab marks over it, he won't be able to swim for a couple of days. His ribs were broken, his throat was crushed and his eye socket was fractured. However; we used the  mana stone to repair everything that was broken and managed to patch up all the open wounds” 

Kuroo looked at the wise with tears pricking at his eyes and his bottom lip quivered

“Is... Is he going to be alright?” 

“the  mana stone saved him  Kuroo . If it wasn’t for the wise and his quick thinking along with medical knowledge... he wouldn’t be with us now”

Yaku explained sadly 

“I hate to continue this but... that isn't the end of his injuries”

Nekomata added and everyone looked down sadly.  Kuroo looked between them all in confusion 

“what else?” 

Kuroo felt his chest get tight

“it would appear that Tsukishima hasn’t just experienced physical assault but also... sexual assault” 

“what...”

Kuroo looked at the wise plainly and his voice became low 

“there are traces and indications that someone may have tried to force themselves upon the Prince, however they have not succeeded” 

the wise explained as he witnessed  Kuroo stare through him with dilated pupils. 

His chest tightened further, his sight became red, his hands clenched into fists, his body shook in anger and his tail rattled with fury as he swam up 

“this is that Kings doing. I’ll fucking kill him!”

Kuroo growled as he went for the door but was instantly stopped by  Bokuto

“bro, let go of me. I swear to god I’m going to murder that man!” 

“ Kuroo ! Calm down! I know your upset and angry but now isn't the right time! Right now, you need to be with the Prince, he needs you more than ever”

Bokuto explained 

“it’s true, he’s been mumbling your name in his sleep”

Kenma approached the two sharks 

Kuroo’s shoulders slumped 

“Kei...”

the shark whipped himself around 

“can I see him?” 

Kuroo added with pleading eyes towards the wise and  Nekomata singularly nodded 

The raven-haired wasted no time in swimming past everyone and headed to the back room

As he entered his heart fell to his stomach as he saw the state the merman was in. Wrapped up in bandages with shell cream over his injuries. His neck was a dark purple and he had bruising over one side of his face 

Kuroo choked out  Tsukki’s name and harshly wiped away the tears that began to form. He swam to the Prince’s side and gripped his hand tightly 

“what... what happened to you?” 

He placed the merman's hand against his forehead as he whimpered in distress over the blonde

Many hours went by with  Tsukki lying unconscious on the bed

Everything felt warm, the water as it flowed over his skin, his tail from the bandages and his hand from--

Tsukki’s eyes opened slowly and his sight was blessed with beautiful colours above his head. It was just a normal ceiling to the locals, but to him it was wonderful. The way the stone shimmered in the light 

_ ~ where am I? ~ _

The blonde thought to himself as he looked to his side slowly. His brows raised and his eyes widened when he saw  Kuroo sat next to him holding his hand as he cried pleads for the merman to wake up 

“T- Tetsurou ?” 

Kuroo whipped his head up to see a very conscious merman looking right at him 

“Kei!” 

He swam up in disbelief 

“your awake, you're really awake. I’ve been... I’ve been so worried” 

More tears continued to flow down the shark's cheeks, but this time in relief. 

The memories of everything that had happened in the space of 24 hours suddenly hit  Tsukki in realization and his eyes instantly pricked with tears 

“T- Tetsu ... I’m... I’m so sorry!”

The blonde burst in to tears and covered his face with both hands 

“ shh ,  shh ,  shh ! Don't be sorry! None of this is your fault!” 

“it is! It's all my fault! I’m such a burden! I’m so sorry!” 

The merman sat up with a grunt and continued to cry 

Kuroo quickly swam towards him and wrapped his arms around the Prince in a tight but careful hug 

“no! None of this is your fault! You didn’t deserve any of this, not even one bit! And you are far from a burden Kei. Your... you’re the love of my life! And I am never ever letting you leave my side ever again! You hear me? Never! I’m going to protect you forever and always, until the day I die! I’m sorry for whatever I said to you, I’m sorry for snapping when I did. I love you! I love you! I love you so damn much!” 

The shark began to cry as he gripped  Tsukki tighter. The Prince was taken back by  Kuroo’s words 

_ ~ he loves me too? He... he ~ _

Tsukki cried harder in the sharks arms 

“I love you  Tetsurou ” 

Kuroo pulled away and placed his hands gently on either side of  Tsukki’s face to look in to his eyes 

The Prince saw true passion within the shark and couldn’t help but blush 

“Kei, please stay with me. Let me be your knight” 

the merman's brows raised in surprise and he smiled softly with a nod

“I’m not going anywhere” 

“hah”

Kuroo sighed in relief and pulled the blonde close to him. He placed his hand on the back of the blonde's head and smiled lovingly 

“you never have to see that man again. I will look after you, I promise” 

“I trust those words coming from your mouth more than anything I’ve ever heard in my life” 

Tsukki admitted as he placed his hand on the shark's shoulder 

“I’m glad. But for now, you need to rest” 

Kuroo carefully helped  Tsukki lay down 

“stay with me?” 

“of course, I will” 

The shark smiled softly and laid next to the Prince with his arms wrapped around him, never willing to let this merman go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you readers like the chapter  
safe to say Tsukki got well and truly beat :'(   
please please please drop a comment down below with your thoughts. I'm dying to hear from you all   
this is the longest chapter so far and i worked really hard on it. I hope i did it justice 
> 
> again check out our twitters   
@HaikyuuTrash11  
@Zerononiku


	6. Finding You!

** At  ** ** Kuroo’s ** ** place **

Tsukki had been move to the shark's home from  Nekomata’s place to gain some extra and well needed rest.

The Prince was asleep on  Kuroo’s bed and the shark man couldn’t help but look at him sadly as he stroked the blondes swollen cheek softly.  Tsukki looked peaceful even though he was covered in bandages with a few cuts and swelling on show. 

Part of the state the blonde was in  Kuroo was blaming himself. In fact, he cursed himself for letting the Prince swim away after such a petty argument. Whatever was said between them at that moment was not worth the impact  Tsukki had received, and if  Kuroo could go back and change anything he sure as hell would have swam after him. 

The moment  Kuroo removed his knuckles from the blonde’s cheek the Prince’s eyes fluttered open slowly. He groaned with a frown and directed his eyes over to the shark and instantly felt tears prick as a whirl pool of emotions swam through and over him. His bottom lip quivered slightly as he reached one arm out 

Instantly  Kuroo carefully wrapped his arms around the merman and let him cry on the shark's shoulder 

“ shhhh , it’s okay. Your safe now, I’m here and not going anywhere” 

“T-Tetsu, I’m sorry. I’m so so so sorry” 

Tsukki’s shoulders began to shake as he cried a little hard er in the shark's arms 

“you don’t need to be sorry Kei”

“I do! I said such horrible things to you and... and I shouldn’t have! I should have just believed in you more and not fallen for the same mistake I always make. I should never have returned to my father, I just was so shocked seeing the  mana stone that I had flash backs of when my father told me stories when I was a child, about how the sharks stole the  mana stone from us and... and”

“let me stop you there” 

Kuroo pulled back with a soft smile as he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that flowed down the merman's cheeks

“I had no idea that  your father had lied to you to that extent. I didn’t know that the  mer people had the  mana stone at any point until  Nekomata explained a little to me whilst you were resting at his. In fact, the  mana stone wasn’t originally either of ours”

Tsukki frowned at the shark's words 

“what do you mean?” 

“well, the  mana stone originated with the dolphin folk. They were the ones who created it, they were the start of all things magical. One day the shark tri b e came to aid and helped the dolphins when they were most in need, and as a thank you gift that crafted and gave us the  mana stone. It had been in our care for years and years until the  mer kingdom found out about it and wanted to take if for themselves. It was then stolen by us from them; however, it wasn’t long until it was retrieved and back in our care. Kei... it was your father who arranged to have the  mana stone stolen before you were born”

Kuroo explained as he sadly smiled at the Prince

“I believe you and the wise. I wouldn’t put anything past my father anymore” 

Tsukki wrapped his arms around himself and looked down 

“hey, I don’t want you to think about what happened back there, okay? You can explain to me another time. How about we take your mind off of things and train your tail to work again?” 

Kuroo rubbed  Tsukki’s arms up and down 

“how long... how long have I been sleeping?” 

“about 3 days”

“3 days?!”

“yeah, but don’t worry about it. The wise said that you need as much rest as you can get. He has been coming round daily to see how you are doing, and has stated that your body is on the mend”

Tsukki smiled as the shark explained what had been going on further. 

“the shark tribe have been so good to me; I want to give back somehow” 

“well don’t you worry about that now. Let's take it all one swim at a time, yeah?”

The Prince nodded towards the shark

“let’s get you ready and head out to get your tail moving again”

Kuroo smiled as he kissed  Tsukki gently on the forehead making the Prince blush in warmth 

They made their way out of th e  shark’s home with  Kuroo holding  Tsukki firmly around the waist to keep him up right and steady. The blonde whimpered slightly in pain and  Kuroo whipped his head around to make sure the Prince was alright.  Tsukki smiled slightly with his brows furrowed 

“I’m okay, it just feels like I haven't swam in a very long time. Almost like... I’ve forgotten how to move my tail”

Tsukki looked down sadly 

“well! That is why we are out here now! We will get you swimming around again in no time”

The shark smiled at the blonde 

“hey! Fancy some help?” 

Kuroo turned around to see the husbands  Mattsun and  Makki swim towards him.  Tsukki looked at the meme duo and smiled softly with a singular nod

“that would be great, thank you”

The Prince bowed his head 

“ ahhhh , no need to thank us at all!”

Mattsun spoke as he swam closer to  Tsukki

“yeah, what  Issei said. It would be an honour to help out a Prince after all”

Makki spoke with his arms out as he swam to the other side of the blonde

“either way, we both appreciate your help, and to be honest it makes it a lot easier as he can swim to each of us “

Kuroo explained before he swam off to a make a little distance between him and his partner.  Tsukki looked at the shark horrified and worried that even though it wasn’t too far of a gap, that he wouldn’t make it 

“it’s okay. The Matsukawa’s will be right by your side” 

Kuroo expressed with an encouraging smile.  Tsukki turned to look at the memes and they looked back at him with a smile and nod

The Prince took a shaky deep breath in before he pushed himself from the husbands hold 

His tail moved slightly but he was heading to the ground rather rapidly, which made  Mattsun and  Makki swim quickly to his sides to help him back up again.  Tsukki was panting and apologised to the two

“what are you sorry for?” 

“yeah, you actually did better than I thought you would” 

Makki agreed with his husband and they both smiled at the blonde

“come on Kei! You can do this!”

Kuroo waved with both hands as a smile was plastered over his face.  Tsukki looked over to the shark with a blush and shy smile before nodding and trying again 

The Prince stumbled a few more times on his way, and the two husbands had to catch him. However, eventually  Tsukki made it to  Kuroo and as he did he wrapped his arms around him and sighed 

“you did amazing! I’m so proud of you!”

Tsukki pulled back instantly at  Kuroo’s words and stared him dead in the eyes in shock 

“what's the matter?” 

The shark added with a confused frown

“did... d-did you just say... your  _ proud _ of me?” 

Tsukki’s eyes pricked with tears.  Mattsun and  Makki looked at each other with a sad smile whilst  Kuroo looked his partner in the eyes 

“yes, of course I am Kei. You did amazing to get this far. Who cares if you stumbled along the way, you have many injuries and you pushed through and didn’t give up! What's not to be proud of?” 

The shark smiled at the blonde and pulled him in to a hug, as he did so he kissed the Prince on the cheek and whispered 

“I love you”

In his ear.  Tsukki wrapped his arms tightly around the shark and scrunched his eyes tight as to not let any tears slip

“so, are you ready to try again?” 

Mattsun spoke 

Tsukki turned from the hold  Kuroo had him in and saw the meme duo smiling with an arm each stretched out. The Prince smiled softly and nodded towards them 

The three continued to help  Tsukki swim back and forth between them and he was getting better and better, to the point he no longer needed someone to hold him up as he swam longer distances 

That was until  Mattsun’s eyes followed the blonde closely as he began to swim to  Makki

Tsukki was frowning more than usual and his tail was starting to curl weirdly. The blonde gasped as a pain shot through his tail and up his spine, he placed a hand over his chest and began to sway off track 

Mattsun swam as fast as he could to catch the Prince before he completely collapsed to the hard-rocky ground. Kuroo and Makki quickly swam over as Mattsun held Tsukki in his arms. Makki quickly swam to the other side to help steady the blonde and Kuroo was right in front of him holding his hand 

“Kei? Is everything okay?” 

The shark asked worried for his partner 

“he’s alright”

Everyone turned as they heard a husky voice approaching them, they were shocked to see that it was the wise

“ Nekomata ? What are---”

“I was watching from afar. Young Prince was doing a very good job at training his tail to work again. However, he may have pushed himself a little too much and strained some of his injuries. Which doesn’t surprise me as the  mer people are very stubborn creatures” 

The wise smiled as he approached the four

Tsukki’s expression was that of discomfort as he was being held by the meme duo

“here, eat this”

Nekomata past  Tsukki a small item. The blonde looked down at it in confusion 

“w-what is it?” 

He asked as he took it from the wise and placed it in his mouth 

“it’s just a slice of tuna wrapped in seaweed. It's infused with  mana from the stone to take the pain away” 

Nekomata explained with a smile 

“as nice as it was to see you two helping out, didn’t you both have work today?” 

The wise raised a brow towards  Mattsun and  Makki and the two laughed sheepishly before turning to  Kuroo

“well as fun as this had been, we have somewhere to go. See you both soon!”

They both rushed off after securely placing  Tsukki down on a rock for him to rest.  Nekomata chuckled and rolled his eyes 

“those two will be the death of me” 

“they will be the death of everyone”

Kuroo chuckled back 

Tsukki started swaying from side to side as he was finding it hard to keep his eyes open 

“Kei?” 

The shark spoke worried as he turned to look at the Prince and placed his hand on his shoulder 

“don’t worry about him. His body isn't used to having  mana course around it like we are. So, it’s bound to make him tired. You should take him back to yours to rest up, he has pushed his body far enough today”

Nekomata smiled with a bow before he swam away

“here, let me carry you”

Kuroo offered as he wrapped one arm carefully under the blonde's tail and the other around his waist.  Tsukki blushed as he was being carried like a newlywed back to  Kuroo’s place

Although that didn’t stop the blonde from feeling completely safe and content in Kuroo’s arms as he rest his head on the shark’s shoulder with a quiet hum 

As they got back inside  Kuroo carefully placed  Tsukki on the bed 

“Tetsu... mhmm gum mun sta” 

The shark frowned at the mumbling merman 

“what did you say?” 

When the Prince didn’t respond to  Kuroo the shark peaked his head over the blonde’s shoulder and smiled when he saw him sleeping peacefully 

_ ~ he’s so perfect ~ _

The shark thought to himself as he delicately stroked  Tsukki’s cheek and removed the blonde’s glasses. He placed them on the side before deciding to climb on the bed with him and wrap his arms around the blonde in a semi tight hold, never wanting to let go of this moment as he laid listening to  Tsukki’s light breathing. The blonde ended up backing himself up closer in to the sharks hold which made  Kuroo smile like an idiot before he too ended up falling asleep with his Prince 

Hours went by before  Tsukki flickered his eyes opened as he woke up feeling nice and warm. He reached his arm out and grabbed his glasses from the side. As he placed them on and went to move, he had realised that he had somehow wrapped his tail completely around  Kuroo’s and that they were now tangled together. He looked up to  Kuroo who was still soundly sleeping on his back and back down to their tails as he tried to pull free once again

Another awkward thing that  Tsukki hadn't realised in his half-tied state was that he was actually laying on top of the shark. The merman must have felt so comfortable in his sleep that he couldn’t help but scoot closer and closer to him, to the point of being on top. 

The blonde blushed a bright red as he realised what sort of position, they were in 

Tsukki wiped his face in disbelief and looked up to see that yes, he was still on top of the shark 

_ ~ oh god, oh god, oh god ~ _

The blonde tried to pull himself free in slight panic as he also didn’t want to wake  Kuroo up. However, this failed and he tried to pull free his weakened body gave out and he collapsed back on top of the shark, although this time he had landed on the shark’s chest with his hand on his stomach

_ ~ oh no! Don’t wake him, don’t wake hi--- ~ _

Tsukki’s thought process came to a halt as his hand rested upon the sharks rippling abs and toned skin. His head resting against  Kuroo’s hard pecks and he noticed oh too well how built his partner really was 

“ah”

The merman shuddered in excitement and quickly shook his head from any kind of lewd thoughts that tried to creep in 

In the end  Tsukki surrendered and hid his face in the shark's pecs 

Within moments the blonde felt himself shake as he heard chuckles coming from  Kuroo . He looked up to see that his partner was now awake laughing at the mess the blonde had got himself in

“oh dear!  Hahahahahahahaha this is hilarious!  Ahahahahahahahahaa ”

Kuroo burst in to full blown laughter and  Tsukki just blushed harder as he looked at the laughing shark 

** A few weeks later **

Tsukki’s wounds had made a great recovery and he was swimming back to normal thanks to the help of many sharks that offered a hand

Kuroo wanted to do something nice with the Prince as they haven't had much alone time and had only been working on getting the blonde back to normal 

“ Tetsu ... you keep saying you’ll see... but I just want to know where were going. We have been swimming for quite a while now” 

Tsukki pouted as the shark wasn’t giving in to where they were on their way to

Eventually everything around the merman looked all too familiar 

“we're going to the abandoned ship?” 

The blonde asked and  Kuroo turned around with a sappy smile 

“yeah, it was our first non-official date spot. I thought it would be nice to spend time together just the two of us where no one knows where we are”

The shark explained and  Tsukki smiled softly at him as he reached out for  Kuroo’s hand 

“yeah, let's go” 

The merman had an almost excited tone in his voice as the two swam further hand in hand towards the ship

As they approached and entered the wreck  Tsukki got an overwhelming sensation of warmth and happiness as he remembered the first time he was brought here 

“you know, every time I think about this ship now, or think about going here to clear my head... I think of you all the time. I like it, it’s a nice feeling to be able to enjoy a place of peace with someone you love” 

Kuroo smiled at  Tsukki and the blonde softly smiled back 

“I agree—hmm" 

The merman looked down.  Kuroo frowned at the blonde 

“is everything okay?” 

Tsukki nodded silently as he swam around the ship slowly.  Kuroo wasn’t having any of it as he swam up to the merman and grabbed his arm 

“if you're in pain, you can tell me” 

“I’m not in pain”

“okay, well at least let me check over your scars”

Kuroo offered as he guided  Tsukki to a chaise longue in the corner of the main open room area of the ship

“don't worry, I’ll be gentle” 

The shark explained as he ran his hands gently over  Tsukki’s tail.  Kuroo’s eyes scanned over the beautiful golden and blue tail as he searched for any openings or new wounds 

“could you turn to the side a little bit?” 

Kuroo asked and watched as the blonde turned slightly 

“I’m okay, I’m not in any pain”

“well, I just want to make sure” 

The shark expressed as he continued to search over the merman's tail, when he suddenly stopped. He moved part of the fin up slightly and gasped with widened eyes as he sat up quickly in shock 

“what? What is it?” 

Tsukki began to worry as  Kuroo had stilled staring at his tail 

“I-I never knew you had a b-birth mark” 

Kuroo stuttered as he ran his fingers over the moon shaped mark 

“oh? Well yeah, I guess its hidden most of the time” 

The blonde explained but was still a little confused as the shark couldn’t stop staring at it in shock 

“do you think it's weird?” 

Tsukki asked with furrowed brows 

“n-no... I don’t find the birth mark weird at all... b-but what I do find weird is... I have the exact same birth mark on my tail” 

Kuroo explained.  Tsukki sat up quickly in disbelief and looked to where on the shark's tail  Kuroo was pointing 

“ wha ... what?” 

The blonde couldn’t believe his eyes as they met with  Kuroo’s , and  they both simultaneously spoke

“were fated??”

The y shared a moments silence as they gazed in to each other's eyes 

“the light... it was you the whole time”

Tsukki mumbled as he remembered the light that guided him back to the shark tribe 

“Kei?”

“ hmmmm ?”

The merman looked up and was taken back when  Kuroo pressed his lips softly against his as the shark's hand softly cupped his cheek.  Tsukki fell merciless in to the warmth of the shark’s touch as he let go of all his thoughts and pressed harder in to the kiss with a slight moan. His hands travelled to  Kuroo’s shoulders as he sat up right and pressed their chests together 

More moans slipped his lips at and given chance as the passion travelled through both of them.  Kuroo placed his other hand on  Tsukki’s waist as he move d  his lips across the merman’s jaw line, leading to his neck as he hummed in satisfaction. The blonde melted to each and every touch as the shark was feeling more and more daring towards his partner, who was actually allowing all kinds of willing access 

Tsukki’s head rolled back as the shark trailed kisses from his ear, down his neck and to his chest. The Prince took a deep inhale as he was beginning to feel the sparks shoot between them

“hmmmm Tetsu”

The merman moaned quietly as he felt Kuroo latch his lips around one of his nipples, a small gasp as the shark's sharp teeth nibbled upon the erected nub slipped his lips, followed by an enticing moan of pleasure 

“ugh-- Tet— su ... M-more" 

Tsukki panted as he laid back down and looked up to see  Kuroo towering over him with a loving yet excited smile 

As the shark began to kiss the blonde from the chest all the way down to the belly button  Tsukki suddenly stopped him with wide eyes 

“is everything okay? Do you want to stop?”

“ er ... eh... n-no. I just remembered something I heard and...  erm ”

Tsukki sat up and looked to the side blushing like mad.  Kuroo sat up to face him with a confused frown 

“what did you hear?”

The shark asked 

“and why are you so red?” 

He added as he stroked  Tsukki’s cheek. The blonde looked at him awkwardly before narrowing his eyes down to the shark’s tail 

“d-do... you have... I mean, is it true that... sharks have... more than one?”

“ hmmmm ?”

Kuroo tilted his head to the side in confusion

“ erm ... d-down there”

Tsukki pointed to where the shark’s private area would be as he looked away.  Kuroo’s eyes widened as a blush started to compliment his cheeks 

“ah-- erm ... well... hah... do you want to see for yourself?”

The shark managed to stutter out and  Tsukki nodded ever so slightly and watched as  Kuroo began to rub the top front of his tail until his private area awoke and poked through 

The blonde gasped slightly when he saw two tentacle like dicks poke through.  Kuroo blushed as he felt the gaze upon his manhood and gasped slightly as he saw  Tsukki curled up floating away 

He laughed and swam to get him, bringing him back to where they originally were

_ ~ he really does have two?? ~ _

Tsukki stared at them in amazement as he poked the tip making  Kuroo shiver ever so slightly. But what followed the sharks shiver was a moan as he felt the Prince grip them both together as he began to stroke them up and down

“does this feel good?” 

Tsukki asked in unsurety and  Kuroo hummed deeply as his breath turned in to slight pants

“y-yeah” 

The sharks head hung back as he felt himself getting harder and harder.  Kuroo couldn’t help but place his hand behind  Tsukki’s neck and pull him in to a soft yet passionate kiss

They both pushed their tongues through and hummed as they wrestled for what could be seen as dominance but was really lust for one another

“touch me” 

Tsukki whispered as he pulled away and placed his forehead against  Kuroo’s

“as you wish”

The shark whispered back as he laid  Tsukki down and towered over him. He placed a soft loving kiss upon the blonde’s lips as his hand travelled down and over the merman’s stomach, until he reached the top part of his tail 

Kuroo began to feel nervous as he didn’t want to hurt the love of his life, his fated mate 

“I’ll be okay, if it’s you” 

Tsukki smiled up at  Kuroo before leaning his head up to connect their lips again. The shark was feeling overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions as he had the Prince under him

He began to rub over  Tsukki’s private pouch until he felt the merman bulging 

_ ~ just a little more ~ _

Kuroo thought to himself as his fingers began to open up the slit, allowing  Tsukki’s erection to spring out in excitement. The blonde gasped as he felt exposed, but also because he was excited to take this next step with the love of his life

The shark began to rub his hand over, around and across the merman’s erection before gripping it from the bottom and stroking it up and down until the blonde was whimpering in pleasure with his eyes widened and his head tilted back 

Kuroo then shifted his hand from the  mer’s erection to his hole just underneath. He placed a finger over the top and instantly heard  Tsukki gasped but also tell him to carry on. The shark gulped and began to push his middle finger in, which evidently was opening up the blonde’s tight hole

“ ack !” 

Tsukki grit his teeth together as  Kuroo was being as gentle as he could to stretch him 

“shall I stop?” 

“n-no... continue” 

The blonde wiggled his hips slightly to adjust himself and make himself feel more comfortable.  Kuroo stayed quiet as he concentrated on not hurting his partner whilst he tried to loosen him up some more.  Tsukki bit his bottom lip at the discomfort and  Kuroo placed his thumb on the blonde’s chin 

“hey, don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself. If it’s too much, just tell me and I’ll stop” 

“I-I don’t want you to s-stop. I want—I need you” 

Tsukki expressed as he cupped  Kuroo’s cheeks with a soft smile, his furrowed brows made  Kuroo remove his fingers as he kisse d in-between them 

“I will take care of you, I promise” 

“I know you will, I trust you” 

Kuroo turned his head to the side and kissed  Tsukki’s hand before looking down to place his two erections against the merman’s prepped hole 

They both took a simultaneous breath before the shark began to push himself in

“hmmmm ack! Ah!”

Tsukki’s back arched at the feel of his hole being spread properly for the first time, and by two erections to boot.  Kuroo stilled to let the Prince adjust to the tips and panted himself as keeping control was proving more difficult then he thought

Once  Tsukki had stopped shaking  Kuroo took that as a sign to continue to push his way through the merman’s tight inner walls, and as he did so he found that he was now almost all the way in before the blonde gasped again 

Tsukki’s bottom lip quivered and he placed an arm over his face in embarrassment 

“hey, you're doing great”

Kuroo removed the blonde’s arm and smiled down at him before kissing him on the lips lovingly. A couple of tears slipped down  Tsukki’s cheeks as he smiled back up at  Kuroo and hummed happily with how well he was looking after him. 

“it ugh—ah— hnn ... feels... g-good" 

The blonde shivered some more as his back began to arch again.  Kuroo leaned down further to place his chest against  Tsukki’s and whispered in his ear 

“just breath, you are doing such an amazing job. I’m going to push all the way in now, okay?”

Tsukki nodded in response and sharply gasped as he felt the shark fill him up completely.  Kuroo grunted at how tight the merman was and how much he was squeezing around his two erections

Tsukki wrapped his arms under  Kuroo’s and held tightly on to his shoulders, all whilst panting and moaning at how pleasured he was feeling just from being entered 

The bottom of their tails wrapped around one another's as they just laid there for a few minutes, really enjoying the feel of being connected 

“K-Kei... you feel amazing” 

Kuroo spoke as he placed his hand under  Tsukki on the top part of his tail. He looked down at the blonde with a blush and smiled when he saw the pleasured look upon his partner. He moved his hips back and forth ever so slightly, in which the Prince had no complaints about as his arms dropped from the shark’s shoulders onto the cushion beneath them whilst his head went back with a moan of pleasure escaping his lips, filling up and echoing around the ship room

“m-more”

Tsukki breathed with a pant as he wiggled his hips 

“hold on to me Kei, I’m at m-my limit” 

Kuroo grunted with his eyes scrunched shut. He opened them slowly as he felt the merman’s hands place upon his shoulders and the blonde was smiling at him with lewd needy eyes 

“ach...  sh -shit" 

The shark pulled his hips back and instantly forward repeatedly slamming in to the merman’s tight hole. 

“ah--ugh—hah—uh— hnnn —y-yes! Ah  ri -right there!” 

Tsukki’s back arched further with his head whipping back in pure ecstasy.  Kuroo continued to push himself against all the spots that made the blonde whine for more

Both knowing that each other wasn’t going to last very long for their first time, they smashed their lips against each other's as their hands messily searched the others bodies. At no point did they find a spot that wasn’t sensitive to the other touch 

“K-Kei”

“ Tetsu !”

They both moaned out as their bodies shook and suddenly stilled. The shark emptying his load inside the blonde as the Prince shot his between their stomachs 

Kuroo sighed in satisfaction as he slumped himself on top of  Tsukki , but making sure not to crush him 

Tsukki panted with a red blush covering his cheeks and nose 

“I’m s-sorry, I’ll last longer next time”

Kuroo spoke in to  Tsukki’s neck crease. The blonde chuckled 

“are you serious? We finished at the same time” 

The blonde smiled as  Kuroo lifted himself up to look his partner in the eyes 

“I guess we both really needed each other huh?” 

“I’m sure we did” 

Tsukki smiled and cupped  Kuroo’s cheek once again. The blonde frowned and grunted slightly as he felt the shark pull out 

“did I hurt you at all?”

Kuroo asked worried 

“I don’t think anyone’s first time comes without a little bit of pain. But I felt more pleasure because you looked after me  Tetsu . Thank you” 

“I promised I would always look after you, didn’t I?”

The shark smiled and brushed his nose against  Tsukki’s

“will you hold me... in your arms?  Erm ... just for a little bit?”

The Prince asked shyly and within moment the shark rolled him on to the side and swam behind him, wrapping both his arms fully around him and pulling him in close 

“like this?”

Kuroo asked as he kissed the back of the blonde’s head 

“yes, this is perfect”

Tsukki smiled as he melted in to his partners warmth and slowly shut his eyes 

** A few weeks later **

The crowds of  T ä rkein were cheering and chanting as the winner of their famous wrestling tournament was declared 

And  Kuroo sn ickere d that it was in fact Tora who swam around holding the trophy 

“ha, if I was participating, he would have never of won that”

The shark continued to chuckle as he clapped along with the rest of the crowd.  Tsukki turned to him with a smile as he too was clapping and found himself cheering a lot with everyone else around him 

The tournament ended and everyone began to make their way out of the arena

“I can see why you all like to participate in this wrestling thing now, it actually seems rather fun”

“ ahh it so is!”

Kuroo beamed with happiness towards  Tsukki . The blonde raised a brow with a smirk 

“maybe I can wrestle you someday” 

“ha! You will stand no chance”

“oh yeah? Care to put your money where your mouth is” 

Tsukki crossed his arms over his chest and smirked towards the shark

“ offft you know when you act this feisty, I might just have to take you home and--”

Tsukki quickly placed his hand over  Kuroo’s mouth to shut him up and they both began laughing 

“ Kuroo !!  Kuroo !!”

The shark and merman turned to see who was shouting above the crowd leaving. Eventually they saw a shark with bright red hair and tail

“ Tendou ?”

Kuroo raised a brow 

“hey, yeah it's me. It sure  has been a while huh?” 

The red head expressed with both arms out to the side 

“where have you been?” 

“I've been away for work this whole time. I’m a guardian, remember? I was securing the far outer skirts of the seas. I think I’ve been gone for around about 7  ish months now. I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot!! When I came back, I obviously went to visit the wise and he filled me in on everything that has been happening, and I just so happen to be informed about a merman now living in  T ãr kein and got overly intrigued”

Tendou explained as he tilted his head to the side to see  Tsukki slightly behind  Kuroo cupping his hands with a slight blush. 

The blonde felt nervous meeting another one of  Kuroo’s shark friends, but most of all he was excited. Especially with how everyone had welcomed him in to their tribe without kicking up any sort of fuss

“hello Prince, my name is  Tendou Satori. Pleasure to make  your acquaintance”

Tendou bowed his head with a chuckle 

“heh please, there's no need for any of that. My name is Tsukishima Kei, pleasure to meet another one of  Tetsu’s friends” 

Tsukki bowed his head to the red tailed shark 

“oh, ho ho, look who's on first name basis! Have you two conceived yet?”

Tendou asked with a shit eating grin which made  Kuroo and  Tsukki laugh together. However, the red heads face was neutral as he was waiting for a reply and  Kuroo felt like  Tendou was  _ actually _ being serious 

“good joke”

Kuroo spoke w ith  a nervous chuckle and  Tendou frowned at him 

“I’m not joking? I’m generally asking” 

The red head raised a brow 

“ Tendou , I don’t know if you noticed... but we are two completely different species” 

Kuroo frowned at the other shark in confusion as to what he wasn’t getting 

“yeah? I know that! But you know my great great great great grandma was actually a mermaid. Hence why my tail is slightly more rounded and has a brighter colour then a normal shark. I may be a full shark but I do have the mer gene running through my veins, and correct me if I’m wrong but Tsukishima here is that of noble blood” 

Tendou smiled brightly before turning away and swimming off with his fingers dancing in front of him 

Leaving  Kuroo and  Tsukki floating there, wide eyed and shock written all over their expressions. 

They turned to look at each other slowly ,  blushing redness formed over both of their faces as they stilled in the crowd around them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!  
please remember to leave a comment with your thoughts   
and check out the beautiful art made for this chapter by the amazing @Zeronoiku on twitter   
and my twitter @HaikyuuTrash11

**Author's Note:**

> we both hope you enjoyed our kick start to an amazing story   
please leave a comment down below with your thoughts and visit our twitters   
@HaikyuuTrash11  
@Zerononiku


End file.
